Unraveling Worlds
by Kaarl
Summary: Full-on war between Sitia, Ixia and the blood magicains. Only this time Yelena isn't there to save them. Kidnapped, tortured for information... Will Valek be able to mend her soul back together? Mostly Valek POV with some Yelena, Ari, Janco and Opal. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**UNRAVELING WORLDS**

VALEK

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

In some small corner of my mind, I knew I must be dreaming. But, because the situation seemed so real, I quickly gave up on that hope. I was in the King's throne room—hiding, preparing myself to make the final move in order to end the monarchy. I stayed in place for what seemed like hours, but was in reality only a few minutes—if not seconds. Finally, the occupants of the throne room started to file out, leaving my target alone and unprepared. I let myself drop from the ceiling to land in front of him and drove my knife into his chest without a moment's hesitation. Unfortunately, the King moved and I was unable to reach his heart with my first strike. However, judging from the blood that soaked his tunic, I knew that he would soon meet his end. I felt a weak brush of magic against my arm as he prepared to fight back—I practically purred in anticipation. Instead, all I got was a curse, a few words that wouldn't—couldn't harm me.

_"My death shall forever mark you. You will have the stain of my blood on your soul for all eternity and carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Your only companion to the grave shall be the guilt of my murder and it will eat at you till there is nothing left of your corpse but dust."_ He paused, gathering his last breath and his voice faded to a dry whisper, _"As soon as you find her, you will lose her. And there will be nothing you will be able to do."_

I woke gasping. The last part of the King's curse had never meant much to me—it had almost been forgotten—but now, as I thought about it, it seemed to have a hidden definition. Sure that I wouldn't get anymore sleep that night; I rolled his last words around my mind, trying to make sense of them. After a few minutes though, I still had no idea what they could mean. Sighing, I glanced at Yelena. She appeared peaceful, but her thin eyebrows were pinched together, as if she were concentrating very hard on something.

Slowly, being careful not to jostle her, I got up, gathered my things and made my way to the baths. With at least three hours left till dawn, they were deserted. Not wanting to leave Yelena alone for too long, I tried to be as quick as possible. I was hoping to calm myself down and to shake the nightmare off. Of course, as always, I figured everything out with the worst timing.

The realisation hit me hard. I had to clamp my teeth and lips together to keep from screaming aloud. I moved quickly then—the King's curse didn't affect me personally, it was about Yelena. As usual, as soon as I realized there was danger, my sixth sense turned. I don't know what I was looking for, maybe I was expecting the dead King to burst from some hiding place to attack me, but I saw nothing.

When I arrived at my suite, I found Yelena searching through some papers on the couch. She looked up at the sound of the door closing behind me.

"Where were you?" Her eyes were locked on my figure.

"I couldn't sleep. What are you doing awake?"

Avoiding my question, Yelena's green eyes scanned me, searching for some sign that I might be lying. When she found nothing, her gaze dropped to the papers laid out in front of her. Like an idiot, I stood there staring at her, she still left me tongue-tied.

I remembered the first time we had met. I truly hadn't been surprised to find out the next food taster would be woman. It was Yelena I hadn't expected. From that first moment she had caught my attention. When she came back the next day, after the trial, I was astonished to see a whole different person. I had to admit that I had never looked at a woman as closely as I did at her. The soft green eyes were still the feature I couldn't look at for too long if wanted to be able to produce a coherent sentence afterwards.

I shook my head, 'Focus Valek,' I thought to myself. I had gotten caught up in her beauty again. I had to tell her about the curse that had been thrust upon her without her knowledge. I took a breath to start talking, only to find out I didn't have the courage to even start. What had the King meant; _"As soon as you find her...?" _I had been with Yelena for over six years now and I still hadn't lost her. I frowned. This was an impossible riddle. It's not as if I could ask the King what he had meant—and even if I could, it's not as if he would tell me. I was suddenly aware of someone talking to me.

"...listening to me Valek?" Yelena's voice cut through the thick fog of thoughts circling in my mind.

"I'm sorry what?"

"That's what I thought," she sighed.

Yelena got up and walked up to me. When she approached, I automatically pulled her into my arms. Gently, I brought her lips to mine, but I could tell her heart wasn't in the kiss as she pulled away to look at me.

"Something's wrong." It wasn't a question.

My emotions must not have been as well hidden as I thought they were. Perhaps it was just Yelena. I constantly felt like she could see through me. I swallowed, and concentrating on keeping my voice neutral, I gave her an answer.

"What in the world could be wrong love? You're going to be here for a whole three weeks," I didn't have to pretend to be enthusiastic about the last part, I was overjoyed.

"Um..." she swallowed, looking guilty, "Remember when you asked me why I wasn't asleep?"

"Yes," I said cautiously. I knew what would come next.

"Well, Leif contacted me and told me my presence was requested at an emergency council meeting. I'm leaving in two days."

I walked around the castle dazed. Ari and Janco seemed to notice I was more irritable than usual and they stayed out of my way. I fought soldiers in training yard, and even found a new member for my corps, but I couldn't place the reason for my distraction. I hadn't had the courage to tell Yelena about my dream. Maybe that was the reason that I was more worried about her than usual, or perhaps it was something else. I was jumpy and I was having weird dreams about my past, though it was the most recent that made my decision.

I was sitting in my family house—this confirmed my suspicions about dreaming, my father hated me and I hadn't set foot there in twenty-one years. There was a knock on the door and my brother Lucian entered the kitchen. He sat across from me at the table and reached over to ruffle my hair as he had often done when I was a boy. When I focussed on his face, it started morphing until it resembled the King's. I wanted to scream, but my dream state prevented me from making a sound. He opened his mouth and said in a friendly voice, "Hello Valek." He unsheathed his sword and advanced it towards my heart. I tried to move, but I stayed frozen in place despite my efforts. The sword plunged into my chest.

I woke with the terrible sensation that I was falling. Gasping, I sat up in bed. My skin was clammy with sweat and I had a feeling something was wrong. I hated that. It was the feeling I got when Yelena was in danger. I cursed as I fell out of bed. I sat up among the covers, and not bothering to get off the floor I connected with Yelena. This was very hard to do and I always felt exhausted afterwards. Usually, when I reached Yelena's mind, she was on the verge of blacking out, hurt or in a life threatening situation. This time, as I peered out of her eyes, I saw Mara bustling around in the kitchen. Daylight poured through the windows, making her honey brown curls gleam.

_Do you need help love?_ I thought to Yelena.

Yelena jumped, almost falling out of her chair. _Valek? What are you doing in my mind? I'm perfectly safe._

_I thought you were in trouble._

_I-I'm fine. You're being paranoid. _

She was struggling to hide an undercurrent to her thoughts that I couldn't quite make out. Something that involved me as much as her, I could tell that much. I didn't have time to investigate further. I felt my energy slipping away by the second. Before I completely left her mind, Yelena put her face in her hands and started to sob. The sound was just as bad as it had been when she had told me about Reyad's abuse. My arms itched to hold her, to promise her that everything was alright, but I collapsed onto the floor. There was definitely something wrong, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I would probably be confined to bed for three days, the medic being strict about her patients' welfare. I heard a knock on the door, but I couldn't even get up to answer it. The already dark room went black as I lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

I woke to a cold bright room. All four of them—Ari, Janco, Margg and the medic—were standing over me, looking concerned. I blinked over and over again, trying to come back to reality.

"What the hell happened?" Ari yelled at me, "You were out for four days!"

Well that explained why the inside of my mouth felt as if it were coated with sand. Someone handed me a glass of water, anticipating my thirst. I drank a large gulp and was about to take another when I discerned a particular aftertaste. "Kattsgut" I thought, identifying the poison, before I forced my stomach to heave. For the second time that week, I blacked out.

Five days later, or so Ari told me, I had finally recovered from the poison and I still wondered who had slipped it into my water. My trust in Margg, the medic, Ari and Janco was almost equivalent to the trust I placed in Yelena and the Commander, who tied for first place—though I had to admit Yelena was gaining a considerable advance. I slipped out of the infirmary before anyone could yell at me to get back into bed and slid towards my suite.

When I got there, I noticed someone had attempted to clean up, but had quit halfway through. Suspicion clouding my thoughts, I walked toward the other rooms. There was nothing unusual about my office, but I caught the stench of magic emitting from my storage room—the room Yelena had stayed in during the first year of our working relationship. I opened the door cautiously; afraid to set off any traps the person who had been here might have set up. Thankfully, there were no booby traps there. In fact, the room was empty, except for a single piece of paper. I picked it up and looked at it carefully. The gold writing was extravagant, there were many swirls, flourishes and dashes. The message itself was simple, but vague.

_Secret of a new life,_

_Escape, Loss, Misery,_

_Loneliness in hiding._

A warning written in the form of a poem. Interesting. Something about the script was familiar. I was sure I had seen it before. I shook my head banishing that thought. I briefly considered it could be from a soul. Yelena had once told me that although souls could not directly communicate with living beings, they sometimes left clues in the form of notes. Perhaps it was form Moon Man—it matched his cryptic style. But he was in the sky; Yelena said that once souls reach their final destination, they do not return. I thought then about Iris, but also dismissed that theory. The master magician was clear in her warnings. Right now she was busy helping her country restore their government. The latest attack of the blood magicians had been brutal. Everyone knew the skirmish would most likely end in a war, though they would do almost anything to prevent that from happening. At that moment, no other moment came to my mind, so I settled on analysing the poem. I separated it into parts. There was a part about secrets about a new life and a part about hiding. The adjectives in between the two where indiscernible, but they reminded me of the King's curse. I had no idea if they were meant to be read together or separately. There was a knock on my door. I stood up and opened it. Janco was standing in the doorway, his face bewildered.

I was in no mood for games so I cut off any stupid joke he could make by asking curtly, "What do you want?"

"Maren is badly hurt and one of your men has been killed."

I looked at his face, but before I could identify if he was truthful, he turned and strode briskly down the hallway. I walked after him, forgetting to lock the door in my hurry.

After assuring myself that the wounded were out of danger, I headed outside to search for evidence on the crime scene. All I found were a few puddles of blood left behind by Merlaugh—the man who perished—a long sharp dagger. There was a piece of paper wrapped around its handle. The script matched the one from the note in my room.

_As you can clearly see,_

_I remember what you taught_

_Me long ago..._

On the back of the note was a signature, my heart skipped a beat. It was sticky with magic.

_Prudence_


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Prudence, the girl who had trained with Ambrose and me. At first, she had not known what we were planning to do with our skills. When she discovered we wanted to end the monarchy, she ran away. I never saw her again after that. Even though there was infinity of questions to be answered, I only wanted to know two things; why would she come back? And; was she the one who had attempted to poison me? I had never had a good relationship with her, but nothing too bad. She was about the Commander's age, an intelligent girl. Prudence had always been hard to beat in a fight, a brilliant strategist. She had been there to help Ambrose in his quest for rebellion, up until the night I killed the King. I only began to realize now that Prudence had magic. If she had remained after the takeover, the Commander would have had no other choice but to execute her. It would have hurt him profoundly to lose such a good general and a close friend. We discovered she was missing when we were leaving the hotel we had been staying at. She had disappeared, taking her belongings with her, so Ambrose and I had assumed she didn't want to be involved with the takeover anymore.

I folded the note and put it in pocket. I didn't know what to do next so I headed to my room. I suddenly realized that my door wasn't locked. Picking up my pace, I moved through the castle quickly. I burst through the open door and into my office where I found someone searching through my drawers.

Prudence's strawberry blond curls gleamed in the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Most of the contents of my desk was scattered on the floor.

Taking out my knife, I asked her, "What do you think you're doing?"

"You know, when I came here I expected a challenge. There isn't a single booby trap. I'm disappointed." She smirked.

"What do you want?" I ignored her remark.

"I came to warn you."

I sheeted my dagger and snorted in amusement. "I kind of figured that out when I got your poem." Her glare encouraged me to annoy her further, "Why did you poison me?"

"How did you know it was me?"

"Lucky guess." I gave her an honest answer.

"Your father paid me to poison you," she said after a slight hesitation.

"What does _he_ have against me? I haven't set foot on his land in twenty years."

"Gee, I don't know, maybe, just maybe, he hasn't gotten over your choice of profession." Heavy sarcasm rung in each word.

I was drawing breath to answer, but at that moment the Commander walked in.

"What is going on here?" he asked, "Who is that?" He pointed a finger at Prudence.

"Hello Ambrose," Prudence's voice was shrill and pleasant.

"Prudence?"

His anger faded as quickly as it had appeared. They cut me completely out of the conversation, so I left my rooms grumbling under my breath. I felt like murdering somebody, which probably wasn't a great idea, and the others on the training grounds seemed to feel my mood, because they kept a safe distance. I ruined three leather punching bags. I was going to get crap about not respecting material later, but I wasn't in a good enough mood to care. I turned when somebody taped my shoulder.

"What do you want?" Ari took a few steps back.

"Someone wants to talk to you."

Looking over his shoulder, I saw Leif throwing me poisonous looks. I pulled my shirt back on and walked over to Yelena's brother.

He gave me look full of venom and said through clenched teeth, "How dare you?"

"This looks like a private matter. Can we speak alone?" I wanted to avoid the pointed glances that were already being thrown our way.

"Sure," his teeth ground together in an attempt to conceal his anger.

"How could you do something like that to _my_ sister and then leave?" Leif aimed all of his suppressed fury at me as soon as we reached one of the many storerooms.

"What are you talking about? I never left. She said that you told her that she had to attend an important meeting."

Leif was stunned, as if he hadn't anticipated my reaction.

"I really don't understand what you're talking about. You should know better than anyone that I wouldn't lay as much as a finger on Yelena with the intent of harming her."

A renewed fury grew on Leif's face, "To think I came here all the way from the Illiais jungle and you're still acting innocent."

After he had stalked from the room, I stood there for a moment, processing our conversation in my mind. Yelena had definitely hidden something from me during our earlier mental conversation. Something was wrong. That was the last straw. Everyone in this castle hated me. The Commander was ignoring me, Ari and Janco were afraid of me, Leif was on the verge of killing me, Prudence actually _did_ try to kill me and my father paid her to do it. I was leaving.

To avoid the temptation of strangling Ambrose and being executed, I avoided my suite. Instead, I made my way to Janco's rooms. When I got there, I knocked down the door, since the patience required to pick the lock had left with Yelena's brother. Once inside, I stole Janco's camouflage uniform, a spare set of clothing and grabbed a bag that Janco kept filled with weapons and other junk. I was ready to leave, and dangled myself from the window ledge. At that moment, the owner of the room walked in.

"Holy snowcats! What the hell happened in here?"

"Sorry about the door." I didn't want to upset another person.

"Either, you had an unexpected adrenaline rush, you were showing off your skills to Yelena or you're really starting to lose your touch." He laughed.

I pulled myself back into the room and left to use the regular exit to the castle. I passed my suite and the voices from inside rooted me to the floor.

"So is my prediction still on?" Prudence's voice held an overwhelming curiosity.

"Actually, it was proved incorrect a little over six years ago." The Commander replied, "I'm afraid it's interfering with his work."

Were they taking about me?

"Wow. I don't think any girl in her right mind would ever fall for Valek."

My heart stopped beating. What did Prudence have against me?

"Yelena isn't what you'd expect. I have to admit she's very beautiful, but she isn't exactly a lady."

"What's she like?"

"She can fight like a man—better than most of the soldiers, I'd wager. She's intelligent, but attracts trouble better than a magnet. In that sense, she is a good match for him."

"How did they meet?"

"Yelena used to be my food taster, but things changed when she played a large role in the destruction of a powerful magician."

"Where is she now? I don't recall seeing any girl with Valek since I've been here."

"She's not here. She lives in Sitia."

"Valek's girlfriend is Sitian?" Incredulity filled Prudence's voice.

"Yelena grew up in Ixia. She's a magician—Soulfinder, to be exact."

"Valek...a magician...Sitian," Prudence managed to choke out through her laughter.

I didn't give Ambrose a chance to answer. I stormed into the room and grabbed my pack.

"Sorry to interrupt your passionate conversation, but I'm off to find the girl who isn't in her right mind _before_ her brother guts me alive."

"Valek..." the Commander begun, his face blanching as he realized I had overheard them.

"I'm not staying here Ambrose, I know it's dangerous, screw tactics and—at this point—screw you."

The Commander stood there, red-faced with rage, but I didn't give him a chance to recover. I opened the window and jumped without hesitation. I wanted to leave as soon as possible, but if I wanted to avoid getting tracked, a horse was a bad idea. I searched through Janco's bag and found – thankfully – a grapple and rope. My climbing skills weren't as good as Yelena's, so I still needed them. I moved through the forest searching for a solid branch and trying to confuse my scent in case the Commander decided to go extreme and send dogs after me. I spent the next eight days in the trees and on the road, making my way to the Citadel.

I wasn't expecting much when I got there, so the lack of activity wasn't disappointing. I couldn't really get into the Keep, being me, so I disguised myself as one of the servants and went in undercover. I stayed for a few days, trying to scourge up the maximum information about Yelena, but all I got were a bunch of maybes and well known rumours. The only thing that I learned was the fact that she wasn't staying within the Citadel. Since the rumour mill didn't seem to have any information, I decided to go see someone in person and ask my questions outright.

I went to see someone who was close to Yelena, Iris. I changed out of my disguise and into normal clothes. I hid near Iris' tower's entry and waited for the Mater Magician to arrive. Fortunately, it didn't take long. When I spotted her I pulled my hood over my face and walked up behind her. Once we were inside, I explained to her my reasons for being there and she gave me some answers. She was incredulous that I didn't know what was happening and warned me that my life was going to change forever.

If Iris' information was correct, Yelena would be at Leif and Mara's house. Before leaving, I got some sleep, a thing I had been lacking. This information was the first answer I had gotten in four months.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

After another week's travel, I arrived at the house Yelena was supposed to be staying at. It was the kind of house you expected to find in a fairytale – vines covered the east and west walls and there were yellow flowers growing in the windows. As I walked up the stone pathway, I heard voices coming from the tiny garden in the back.

"You're going to have to tell him sometime." Mara insisted.

"He'll leave." Yelena's voice shook.

"He'll understand—he'd better. It's mostly his fault."

"Think about it Mara. This is Valek we're talking about. Do you know what this would do to his reputation?"

"It's no secret that you two are a couple."

"I just can't picture him as a father."

A father? I gasped as the pieces clicked together. Yelena was pregnant. I made my way directly to the garden.

Yelena froze in place when she saw me and the glass she had been holding slipped from her grip. She looked as if she might faint. Mara was the only one who reacted naturally. I couldn't understand what she was saying. I stood there in shock, unable to take my eyes off Yelena's stomach. She wrapped her arm around her middle trying to camouflage the small bump that had already formed there.

She sank to her knees sobbing and I automatically walked up to her and wrapped her in my arms. I wanted to tell her that everything was fine, but it wasn't. I had never been the one to reassure her with false promises. This wasn't supposed to happen. Yelena had told me that, in her family, every third generation, the first girl born was infertile. Being from that generation, she shouldn't be able to conceive. I didn't want to scare her or hurt her feelings, so I kept quiet. I was screaming inside.

Leif chose that moment to come into the garden.

"Get away from my sister," he ordered me. His voice resembled a growl.

Instinctively, I stepped in front of my heart mate to protect her from her brother's rage.

"I told you to get away from her." Leif took out his machete.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded. In the back of my mind, I wondered if this was what the dead King had been talking about. Was Leif going to take Yelena away from me? No, that couldn't be. She would slip away from her brother and come see me. I wasn't going to lose her.

Leif pointed his machete at me. Was he suicidal? Not only did he have no chance of winning a fight with me, but Mara probably wouldn't be happy if I killed her husband. I didn't get the chance to decide how to react. Mara walked up to Leif and removed the weapon from his grip.

"Idiot! Do you realize that the man you're threatening is an assassin?" she yelled.

Leif stepped back reconsidering his decision to attempt murder. I started laughing at that. He looked like a child getting scolded for stealing one too many cookies.

"There's absolutely nothing funny about this situation." Yelena told me.

"You should've seen his face." I laughed again.

"Well," her sour tone made my smile fall slightly, "Since you're in such a good mood... Congratulations! You're going to be a father."

My smile disappeared. Yelena's eyes focused on something behind me.

_"What do you want?"_ she hissed into mid air and then listened for a while. Her expression changed from annoyed, to shocked, to worried.

_"Anything else?"_ she asked again. She nodded seriously.

_"Thank you. Be gone."_ Her tone held an authority I had never heard before.

"I think the shock has gone to her head." Leif whispered to me.

"A few seconds ago you were threatening me and now we're best friends?" I asked incredulous.

"I am _not_ crazy." Yelena said firmly. "Ulrick and Tricky have restarted blood magic and are recruiting new people into the Daviian clan. The soul told me."

"You can send souls to spy on people?" Leif was surprised.

Yelena merely shrugged. It started raining and we were soaked through after only a few seconds. We went inside.

I was about to sit down on one of the couches when Mara's voice echoed, "Stop!" I froze. "Don't you dare put your wet ass on that couch!"

I stood up and absent-mindedly picked up one of the many books on the coffee table. The book intrigued me—there was no title. I flipped through the pages. Some were sticky with magic and one had a message written on it. Yelena took it out of my hands. Leif questioned her on its owner. She didn't know either. When she came to the page with writing, she turned it for us to see. The script was regularly sized, but it looked as if the quill that had written it was running out of ink. The text was practically scratched into the paper. Once again, I had a strange feeling I had seen it somewhere before.

_Eyes and ears on the inside are useful..._

"I'm guessing it's about a spy," Yelena's voice cut through the silence.

* * *

**I'm just letting you know. The story isn't about the child. It will be in the future, but not now. If you're waiting for that to develop, I'm sorry. It won't be happening in Unraveling Worlds.**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"Some of the pages are sticky with magic," I warned.

Her brow furrowed as she scanned the book for evidence. Her expression grew confused and I knew she didn't feel anything. Leif "smelled" the air. "Smugness," he announced.

I was quiet as I thought about what had happened in the last four months. First, my dreams; second, Prudence's return; third, my disagreement with the Commander; forth, Yelena's pregnancy, and fifth, the note. If the warning was truthful, then whoever had written this could know everything. The war was on the edge of beginning. Robotically, I put my arms around Yelena and pulled her against me. Somehow, my body—unlike my mind—had already adapted to the fact that she was carrying a child. My soul mate's hands fell limply onto my chest and she laid her cheek over my heart. My lips touched her hair gently.

"I'm taking you to Ixia. You'll be safer there." I announced.

"What?" Leif threw up his hands in frustration, "You're not taking her anywhere! Do you have any idea how the trip could affect her _and_ her baby's health?"

"You doubt my ability to keep her safe?"

"Yes, I do actually. The only thing you've done for her lately is knock her up. You think she _wants_ to have a baby? I think she'd like your slimy, disgusting hands off of her," he shrieked. "Now," he added when I didn't react.

"I was touching her when I got her pregnant." For some reason, I found his anger amusing.

Yelena's cheeks became pink. "Don't _I_ get a say? It's _my_ life," she countered.

Leif ground his teeth. He knew what would come next.

"I _want_ to—no." She shook her head. "I _have_ to go. I can't just ditch my job. I have to tell the Com"—she couldn't finish.

"Ha!" I pointed my finger at Leif. "I always win!" Yelena's eyes questioned my sanity.

"I don't think you should tell the Commander though." I shrunk back from her outraged glare.

"Oh, right, you don't want me to tell the Commander, or anyone, for that matter. How am I supposed to walk around the castle with a pregnant belly?"

"You wouldn't have that problem here," Leif hinted.

"Shut up!" Yelena glared at him, "There are many things you can hide Valek. This isn't one of them."

I tried to make up an alternative, but nothing came to my mind. Soon after, Yelena got tired and went to bed. Leif was still mad at me for winning the earlier argument, so he went to his room. Mara sat down next to me on the couch and gave me a complicated lecture on caring for a pregnant woman. When the sun set—surprisingly early—Mara left to make dinner. I let my mind wander.

_Secret of a new life..._

I now knew what the first line of the poem meant. Secret; Yelena hadn't told me about her pregnancy. New life; the child that she carried. My child. The concept was hard to wrap my head around. I couldn't picture myself as a father. I had never exactly warmed to my own father either. I sighed and closed my eyes.

Leonard—my father—spoke to me in a cold voice, "I have finally found a way to get back at you for destroying our family's good name."

I woke gasping. I wiped away the sheet of sweat that covered my face. Taking deep breaths, I tried my best to calm down. I looked out the window to find the sky covered in stars. I hadn't realized how late it was. I spotted a tray of food sitting in front of me. There was a piece of paper with my name written on top beside it. What was with me and notes these days? I decided not to touch it, but I soon sighed, curiosity getting the better of me.

_Sorry your food's cold. You were asleep and I didn't want to wake you. Mara_

At least this note was simple and easy to understand. I picked up my fork and started chewing slowly, automatically searching for poisons. I gave up on that quickly. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until the food reached my mouth. When I was done eating, I sat back and thought about my latest dream. There was a nagging thought I just couldn't get rid of—my dream and the notebook we had discovered earlier were somehow connected. I yawned. Nightmares sucked the energy out of me. I got up and, leaving my plate in the kitchen, made my way upstairs.

Entering the room where Yelena slept, I found—to my relief—a bed built for two people. Pulling my shirt off, I climbed into bed beside her. Yelena's eyes opened slightly when I pulled her close, but closed when she caught sight of me. Sighing, she nestled herself comfortably into my arms and fell asleep almost instantly. Tired as I was, I couldn't find the peace she seemed to feel.

After two hours, sleep still eluded me and my thoughts kept returning to how Prudence, my father, the notes and my dreams could be intertwined. Gently, I laid Yelena onto the bed and walked up the hallway, past Mara's daughter's bedroom, until I arrived at Leif and Mara's door. I stood there for a few seconds before knocking. Thankfully, it was Leif who answered.

"What do _you_ want?" His voice was a sneer.

"I can't sleep. Do you...?" Leif seemed surprised by my normal question.

"Sure."

He went back into the bedroom and returned with an empty glass. Yelena's brother ignored the question in my eyes and motioned for me to follow him. After closing the door quietly, he led me to the kitchen. The drink he brewed me smelled of wet dog, but when I awoke that morning from a dreamless sleep, I couldn't complain. I had to admit I was a bit jealous. The only thing I could brew were poisons and antidotes to those poisons. Yelena stirred next to me and I moved away before I could wake her. Just as I got up, Yelena bolted out of the room and into the bathroom. I heard sounds of retching, and assumed morning sickness was the culprit. I walked up behind her and held her hair back while she emptied last night's meal into a bucket.

"You okay?" I asked mildly worried.

"I-I am now." I handed her a glass of water to wash away the taste of vomit.

"What are people going to think? You know how being pregnant and unmarried are badly seen in society. What will Perl say? She'll probably disown me," my soul mate whimpered.

"Hey," I pulled a strand of her black hair away from her face. "Where's the Yelena who doesn't give a damn about what people think? These hormones must really be getting to you."

She swatted at me with a towel. "You suck at romance."

"So, I suck at romance, but I got you to sleep with me?"

"Valek!" She threw the towel over my head.

I laughed as I helped her stand. I walked with her to the room. When she perched on the edge of the bed looking worried, I sat down beside her and kissed her jaw. I don't know what made me do this, but I put my arms around her stomach and laid a hand gently on her round belly. She froze. When I didn't do anything else, she relaxed and fell back gently against me. When Leif walked in, we both sat up straight and all signs of love disappeared.

After breakfast, I went upstairs and packed our bags for Ixia. Yelena was standing in front of Kiki when I came outside. She was talking to her horse as you would talk to a regular person. I guess to her it made sense—she could mentally communicate with horses. Kiki snorted in amusement at Yelena's serious face.

We arrived at the inn just as the sun was setting. On that first night, I worried. I watched Yelena as she sat down on a bench and waited for me to arrange a room for the night. Her hands were folded over her stomach as if cradling it. I had no idea how this was going to work out. Not only was the Commander furious at me, but he had also forbidden me long ago to have a family. Before I had met Yelena, my loyalty to the Commander had been without fail. I was only beginning to discover how much love had changed me.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

When we arrived at the castle, Yelena and I snuck past the guards and walked to my rooms. The door was open. Again. I walked in ahead of Yelena aware for any signs of an intruder. Before I had a chance to go upstairs, Prudence came down holding something between her fingers. I recognized it as one of Yelena's shirts.

"Is this your girlfriend's?" Her voice mocked me.

"Who's that?" Yelena took the shirt from Prudence and threw it over a chair.

"I'm Valek's second girlfriend," Prudence replied.

Yelena's gaze dropped on me. I reassured her by putting my arm around her waist. She didn't appear convinced. "Do you really think I would have a girlfriend thirteen years older than me?"

"That's only a little more than our age difference."

"That's not the only reason. I really _hate_ Prudence," I ground out, glaring at her.

"Ambrose wants to see you," she declared.

"Ambrose?" Yelena raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, _Ambrose._ Do you have a problem with that missy?"

"Yes, actually I do."

"Why? Is he _your_ second boyfriend?" Yelena's magic was about to flare out of control when Ambrose himself entered the room.

"Valek, I see you have returned." He wanted an explanation. I rocked back onto my heels with relief when both women stepped away from each other. The Commander's powerful gaze swept over both of them and then rested on Yelena's round stomach.

She put her arms around it awkwardly and bit her lip. "I'm p –" she begun.

"If you say the word pregnant, I am going to murder Valek," Ambrose interrupted. Yelena's mouth closed.

Prudence started laughing, "You knocked her up?"

"Why in the world did you bring her here?" The Commander demanded.

"She wanted to give you an explanation," I said hoping to appease his rage. Unfortunately, this only seemed to anger him further.

"Where am I supposed to find another liaison? Everyone knows a war is on its way. That is when we are going to need a liaison the most."

"I'm not quitting. I have a friend who could replace me," she offered.

"Who is it?" Prudence laughed, "Another one of your boyfriends?"

Yelena wheeled on her, "Stop insulting me, or I will ensure you a permanent stay in the Fire world." Prudence stopped laughing and stared at her in disbelief. "Anyway, I think May could take over for a little while. We grew up together."

"How old is she?" The Commander's interest grew slightly.

"She's nineteen, but she's smart. She'll do her job." Yelena promised.

The Commander was sceptic. "How do you expect me to trust an outsider when I don't even trust the population enough to show them my face?" he inquired.

"I trust her, and, so far, I've known who to trust. Also, I was only a year older when I became liaison."

"Example number one," I said trying to lighten the mood. Everyone turned to glare at me.

"That's example number one on who _not_ to trust. An assassin," Prudence replied sarcastically.

"Exactly my point," the Commander said.

"_You_ don't trust me?" I asked.

"Not after your little show before leaving and this," he pointed to Yelena's stomach.

"You think I _planned _to have a child?" I yelled.

"Oh, so you don't care about it? About me?" Yelena asked.

"Of course I do." Now I was offended.

"So, you _want_ this child, but you _don't_ want me to be pregnant? Biology 101 Valek, a woman _has _to be pregnant to have a child."

"Get rid of it," Ambrose said curtly. We all looked at him in surprise.

"What?" I asked.

"Get rid of it," he repeated.

"I would have to kill her."

"I don't care. I want it gone," he commanded indifferently. Ambrose had changed over the years, and I have no idea why. I had guessed it was because Yelena had left, but this has definitely proved that theory wrong. I would have expected Ambrose to be more understanding of Yelena's condition - after all, she did save his life. But I guess I was wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Thankfully, Prudence cut in, "A few seconds ago, you were complaining about losing your liaison, and now you want Valek to kill her?"

Ambrose was at loss for words. After a long silence, he finally spit, "Fine, wait till it's born. Yelena will probably die giving birth anyway." He lifted a rock off my desk, hurled it at Yelena—very nearly missing her head—and stormed out of the room. Prudence followed him out.

After locking the door, I sat down on the couch next to Yelena. I pulled her close and she shook in a late response to Ambrose's anger. "He wants to kill me," she whispered. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell her everything was all right. It wasn't. Her accusations and fears were true. Instead, I just let her bury her face in my chest and held her tightly. Suddenly, I heard the noise of my lock being picked and Janco walked in.

"Why does the Commander look like he's going to blow up the castle? I just asked him a question and he exploded at me, yelling something about not being able to trust anyone in the world." Then he seemed to take notice of Yelena's presence, "Hey Yelena, what are you doing here?" He was answered with silence.

Finally, my soul mate turned to look at him. Janco cocked his head to the side as he studied her from head to toe. His eyes rested on her stomach. "Are you..." His voice trailed off into silence when she nodded. "I'm going to an uncle!" he exclaimed.

"You're crazy," I said. At that moment he realized the connection. His gaze dropped on me and he studied me, as if he couldn't believe there was a possibility that I might be the father.

"Wait. So, if Yelena's pregnant, you're going to be a father?"

I shrugged. "I don't think it's anyone else's child."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Wow. I can't picture it. I mean, no offense, but you're an assassin. I can't visualise you as a father. In fact, I can hardly believe Yelena slept with you."

I don't know why, but his words angered me. I stood; ready to knock some sense into Janco and his idiotic visual images, when I felt I light tug on my sleeve. I turned to see Yelena's face, begging me to forget it. I attempted to ignore it and turned back to my second in command. The tug became more noticeable and strands of magic began to make their up my arm. I shook my arm—the magic wasn't hurting me, but it was uncomfortable. The threads turned into ropes. They clung to me, refusing to let go.

I looked at Yelena. "Will you stop?"

"Will _you_ stop?"

I sighed and sat back down. Immediately, the magical energy disappeared.

"I don't get why the Commander is so mad. It's just a baby." Janco said.

"It's _my_ baby," Yelena told him. I understood exactly what she meant. The child of a Soulfinder and Master Assassin was sure to cause a riot.

The next conversation that Janco started was moronic. He kept trying to figure out what the child would look like. When Ari walked in, he made a bet on the child's appearance. That got me mad. I jumped onto Janco's chest and pressed my dagger to his throat. Before I could do anything else, Yelena's small hand came down on top of mine and took the knife from me. After Ari and Janco left, the suite got quiet.

Life lapsed into a routine. A few of Yelena's close friends from the castle came to visit her, but other than that, things were pretty calm. May came to the castle and replaced Yelena. I got to know her and she seemed nice. Unfortunately, my dreams didn't go back to normal. In every single one, there was a warning. One night, the dream took me off guard. Usually, the warning was voiced by one of my brothers, the King or my father. Tonight, my mother stared in my dream. I don't know why – the words she said were the same as everyone else's, but coming from her, the made more sense.

My mother had committed suicide when she had found out that her only remaining son – me – had plans to get involved with the rebellion. After my brothers had been killed, she had turned me into their replacement. After she had found out that I had joined forces with Ambrose and planned a takeover, Emma fell into a depression and took her own life. Leonard, discovering the body with a knife planted in its chest, blamed me for my mother's murder.

In this dream, I walked outside towards the shed behind our house and spotted something lying in the snow. As I got closer, I recognized it as a body. The face was familiar – it was my mother's. In my dream though, Leonard did not come running. Instead, the corpse's eyes opened and the lifeless body stood to whisper in my ear.

_"Magic blood alliances broken, foes turn to friends and disappearances reveal feelings."_

After hearing these words, my eyes refused to open. I was aware of someone shaking me, saying my name over and over again, but I was unable to wake up. Finally, I managed to open my eyes.

Yelena stared down at me, her face panicked. "Valek, I think my water just broke."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

I sat up instantly energized. "Stay here."

I sprinted to the power twins' rooms. I picked the lock and dragged both men out of bed. I gave them both duties and then I went back to the room. May was already at Yelena's side, holding her hand. A little while later, Dilana, the medic, Ambrose and Prudence arrived accompanied by Ari and Janco. I was about to tell Prudence to leave, but the medic pushed all the men—including myself—out of the room.

I made my way to the small sitting room, only half aware of the others following me. I dropped down onto one of the armchairs and stilled, preparing myself for a long wait. At every sound coming from the other room, everybody except me winced. I sat frozen, my fingers gripping the armrests, threatening to rip through the material with tension. I knew someone would talk to me once in a while, but I had blocked out all noise coming from elsewhere than the bedroom. After five unbearable hours of endless waiting, I heard the sound I had been unconsciously waiting for—crying.

I got up, stiff from not moving for so many hours. Prudence peeked out from around the now slightly open door and said to the Commander, "She isn't dead." Those words gave me a boost of energy, a reason to be. That energy was enough strength to walk up to the door. The few steps that brought me there seemed to last an eternity.

I put my hand on the doorknob, but I couldn't make it turn. My mind was incapable to give the necessary command to continue. Dilana generously opened the entry for me. Since the bed wasn't in direct view of the spot where I stood, I didn't see Yelena or the child. My child. Those words were impossibly hard to think. Finally, the door opened the whole way and Yelena was in full view. She was holding a squirming bundle. As it moved, the blanket fell away to reveal a pretty little face.

It reminded me of the reflection I had seen once in my mother's grand mirror. The blue eyes shone with complete innocence, but they also showed a hint of mischievous curiosity.

A high pitch squeal coming from the little girl brought me back to reality and I stared deep into the familiar blue eyes. From that moment, I knew that she was definitely mine. My daughter.

I walked to the bed with a purpose now. I heard the others surprised gasps as I sat down gently next to Yelena. My eyes were still glued to the child's face, but I ripped them from her to look at Yelena. Her face glowed with satisfaction and motherly love as her gaze met mine. I felt at home, like I belonged.

My soul mate shifted her grip on the baby and held her out to me. Silently, I lifted her and nestled her in my arms. My daughter fit perfectly into my hands. It was as if she had been moulded for them alone. I pressed my lips to the girl's forehead under the astounded eyes of the other occupants of the room. Then I tucked her back into the blanket and placed her into Yelena's hold.

"She's beautiful, just like you." I kissed Yelena's full lips as she smiled at my compliment.

"You have to name her and chose her godparents," the medic instructed.

Yelena looked at me, waiting for an idea. I thought for a long time, and my thoughts brought me back to last night's dream. I remembered my mother's voice talking to me as a child, "You know, I always wanted a little girl. I would've called her Brielle."

"Brielle." I said the name quietly at first, but then repeated it louder so the medic could write it one the birth certificate. Everyone turned to stare at me in shock.

"I love it. It's a perfect name." Yelena murmured.

The medic ignored them and said, "Now for the godparents."

"Opal Cowan and Ardenus Ixia," Yelena said without hesitation.

"What?" Janco exclaimed, "_He_ gets to be the godfather? That means I'm stuck as the aunt." The he held out his arms to Brielle. "Come to auntie Janco," he said mockingly.

Yelena put her into his arms and he held her for a moment, but then Brielle started to cry. I chuckled and took her from him. I experienced a kind of smugness when my presence calmed her down some.

"No wonder she hates me so much, she looks and acts exactly like her father," Janco said.

"I don't hate you. I just find you annoying." Brielle stopped crying, her lips formed a small and round "o" and her head dropped onto my shoulder as she fell asleep.

"Well she's intelligent," Prudence said sarcastically.

"Prudence, that was four syllables! What an improvement!" I answered.

"Humph, well at least if I had any children, they would have better sense than to fall asleep in the hands of a murderer."

"Would all of you just shut up?" Yelena questioned. The noise wake Brielle up and she started yelling. Suddenly, she disappeared from my hands. Dilana handed my daughter to her mother.

The medic looked at the two of them for a while before declaring, "Everyone out, Brielle is hungry."

I made everyone leave the suite, but the Commander remained.

"You do realize you will not be able to stay with the child," he said.

I didn't answer. I wasn't able. Just the thought of being away from Brielle felt as if I was being burned from the inside out.

"Valek, you are not allowed – meant for a normal life. You will find liaison Zaltana and her child somewhere to stay far away from here."

Something was building up in my chest. It took me a moment to identify the feeling—hatred, pure hatred towards my employer. "No." Resolve filled my voice.

"Excuse me?" The Commander asked confused.

"You heard me. This is one of the only things you will never force me to do. If you make me do this, I will remove myself from your service. Permanently." I spat the words at him.

The Commander left my rooms slamming the door behind him. I heard the beginning of a whimper upstairs, but Yelena managed to silence it. I trudged up the stairs heavily and knocked on the bedroom door. I was about to leave when Yelena's voice told me to come in. I opened the door shyly.

My soul mate was sitting on the bed, holding the snoozing Brielle to her chest. Answering the silent question her eyes were asking, I gave an abbreviated, thickly sugar-coated version of my conversation with Ambrose. I didn't give her time to question me.

I took Brielle from her and set her down in the small cradle the medic had provided. I walked back to the bed, pulled down Yelena's lifted shirt and, lying down next to her, pulled her into the cradle of my arms. She laid her head on my shoulder and relaxed instantly.

She had this reflex that scared a few people. Normally, when I came close, a person stiffened. Yelena relaxed, feelings of safety emitted from her.

I had no idea what to do. Was it possible for an assassin to settle down and make an honest living? I was seriously considering it. Soon after Yelena fell asleep, I drifted off into a light slumber. The dream started again, and once again, I found myself unable to wake up from it. Somebody shook me and I opened my eyes to Yelena's worried face. Talk about déjà-vu.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

I considered telling Yelena about the dreams I had been having for a year or so now. She would know what to do. I saw it now in her face—the knowledge that something was wrong. My decision was based on my latest two dreams. What if Yelena wasn't there to wake me up? Would I end up stuck in dream state forever?

I sat up and looked at her seriously. Before I could lose the small amount of courage I had gathered, I took a deep breath and launched into the telling of my worries and fears.

I told her everything. I didn't sugar-coat it, I didn't hide how scared or worried I was. I told her every insignificant detail on each dream and my thoughts on each one. When came the time to tell her about the notes, I got up and brought each one for her to see.

I told her my theory about the King's curse and how I thought my father might be involved in the upcoming war. She was quiet. Yelena didn't talk, question or comment. The sun rose from behind the horizon and shone through the windows, but even then, I didn't stop my tale.

When Brielle woke up, Yelena got up smoothly and, her eyes never leaving my face, she lifted her from the cradle and kept our daughter quiet by feeding her. I talked for almost a full four hours. I couldn't remember ever giving such a long speech.

When I was done, Yelena was quiet for a long time. She looked at me, her thoughts elsewhere than on the child in her arms. I hadn't known that someone could be as still as she was in that moment.

After a long wait for her to react, I leaned forward and took her expressionless face between my hands. Nothing changed. Gently, I ran my thumb over her unmoving lips, caressing them.

Brielle stirred in her mother's arms, but Yelena wasn't paying attention to her. I lifted my hands off Yelena's face and took Brielle from her. I heard a noise, but when I looked up, my soul mate was already gone. Since I hadn't felt any magic, and the door was still closed, she was still here. I put my daughter in her cradle and looked around.

I felt Yelena's hands touch my shoulders gently as she guided me to one of the armchairs in the room. When she pushed me down, I obediently perched on its edge. She sat down behind me and her arms wrapped around my stomach. Her hands made their way through the buttons of my shirt with ease. She got rid of it and slid her hands across my back. Her fingertips dug themselves into my tense shoulders and I felt them relax slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Yelena's voice was gentle and quiet. It was almost frightened. I realized I must be quite a show. My entire body was stiff and I was poised to fight. I tried to make myself relax, but I think the only reason I succeeded was because of Yelena. Her hands massaged my back and shoulders, kneading themselves into my muscles.

"I didn't want to worry you."

"I could have helped you." Her voice was still a little shaky.

I reached behind me and put my hands on Yelena's hips. I pulled her onto my lap. With her small size, she fit perfectly.

"Do you know what they mean?" I needed an answer if I wanted to remain sane.

"I think..." she hesitated. She took a deep breath and, twirling a lock of her dark hair around her finger nervously, said, "I think it's about the upcoming war."

"What war?"

"The one with the blood magicians. The Blood war."

"Are you sure? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't important at the time. I was more worried about you leaving me." Yelena looked down.

"Don't worry. I was willing to resign from my position as spymaster, had the Commander ordered me to stay away from you and Brielle."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now tell me what's going on."

"Not much that we don't already know. The Citadel is under constant attack and..." She paused, biting her lip.

"Tell me," I pleaded.

Her voice was quiet, quick and hard to understand, "Apparently they have plans to take over Ixia."


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Blood magicians in Ixia? That would be a disaster. No one here had strong enough magic to protect themselves, and those who did, fled to Sitia. The Commander's troupes would be annihilated like pigs in a slaughterhouse. I shuddered at the thought of my men killed for their blood, their life force.

"Not while I'm alive they won't," I threatened. Ambrose's no magic rule was more frustrating than ever.

We made plans to smuggle in magicians if we were incapable of convincing the Commander to do it legally.

"You're father is alive?" Yelena changed the subject.

"Unfortunately. He's tried to kill me. Twice."

"Why would he do that?"

"He thinks I murdered my mother and he doesn't approve of my lifestyle. When I first got involved with the takeover, he told me that if I had any common sense I would get married, have a family and forget about the whole mess."

"Well, you compromised, in a way. You're an assassin; you have a girlfriend and a daughter." Yelena smiled.

"And I'm happy this way," I whispered into her ear, trailing my fingers over her cheek. She leaned into me and I tightened my grip. "Is there really no way to keep you out of trouble this once?"

She shook her head.

I sighed and stood, keeping her in my arms. She didn't protest. She never had, she liked to be babied once in a while. But then again, Yelena had never had a proper childhood. A small smile stretched across her lips. I shifted her gently, and her lips touched my collarbone. A tingle traveled up my spine, but I made myself pull away.

"You need to get to bed," I repeated the medic's words.

"We'll be in bed," she assured me.

I pulled her closer, our lips meeting.

I woke up to the sound of crying. Yelena was no longer by my side. I got dressed and left the bedroom to find Yelena sitting in one of the armchairs. She cradled Brielle in her arms, trying to calm her. When she spotted me, her expression turned apologetic.

We made plans to leave as soon as possible.

On the third morning, the castle shook. I opened my eyes, thinking I had dreamt. Yelena's eyes were open and she was attentive to every sound and movement around her. When the building shook again, the woman beside me was no longer a fragile blossom. A powerful Soulfinder was in her place.

She got up and, not bothering to change out of the simple shirt and pants she wore, left the room. I followed her out. Now that I was getting closer to the epicentre of the shaking, I could feel the magic that swarmed the air.

I heard Yelena muttering something about not calculating the timing right. I knew what she meant. The blood magicians were ahead of schedule. Yelena and I passed by some panicked personnel who froze in fear when they caught sight of me. When we got to the Commander's office, he looked at us in surprise. Neither of us had seen or spoken to him in the last three days. Yelena warned Ambrose about the magical provenance of the attack. Prudence arrived shortly after we did. She and Yelena quickly made plans to place a shield around the castle. I left to find the magicians who led the attack.

I found a number of men and women. New faces. New recruits. Most of them probably hadn't even been warned of the extreme danger of this attack. They were almost all under the age of twenty. The rest were older – maybe my age, but they didn't look more aware of their situation. Yelena was gone when I came back into the office. She arrived a little while later, after I had given my report. She came back ready for battle.

"_You're_ going to fight?" Prudence snickered, "You probably can't even pick up a sword."

Yelena glowered at her.

"Ladies," the Commander interrupted them, "save the arguing for later. Place the shield you were talking about earlier around this castle."

They scrambled to obey his superior tone. When the shield was in place, or so Yelena said, we moved out to capture the troublemakers. The blood magicians, feeling the shield, had halted their attacks. I gathered a few men and we circled the enemy group.

The leader stepped out and said in a clear voice, "Before you kill us all, we have a message from our mentors."

Yelena froze at the sound of his voice. "Arich." She spoke through her teeth.

"Lenny, darling." He turned to face her. My soul mate flinched, as if the sound of her name coming from his mouth burned.

"Don't call me that."

"Who is that?" I asked.

"I'm her boyfriend," the man smirked at me.

"_Ex-_boyfriend," Yelena corrected.

**Do you think I cen have some guesses on Valek's reaction to _that? _**


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Arich gasped dramatically. "Lenny! How cruel of you! And you said you would love me forever," he said placing a hand over his heart.

"_Hate. _ I said I'd _hate_ you forever, idiot."

"Details, details," the man said, girlishly waving his hand.

"Are you sure you aren't gay?" Janco asked him. He was always able to find something amusing in even the worst situations.

Finally, someone had struck a nerve with Arich. His face became red. "I am _not _queer!" he yelled.

"I think you are. Nobody says queer. What does it even mean?" Janco inquired, smirking.

I felt like stabbing Arich in the stomach. I held myself back. Why should I be surprised that someone else had been interested in Yelena? She was beautiful. I figured I was just surprised that she had actually _been_ with somebody else. Especially someone so... queer.

Feelings burned inside of me. Anger, hatred and something new. Something that felt strange, building up inside of me, about to explode. I had never felt it before, yet I knew what it was.

Arich moved closer to Yelena and touched her cheek. She flinched away and his hand rose to hit her, but it never met its mark. I tackled him to the ground, with my knife poised over his throat.

"Don't you dare touch her," I growled, his brown eyes staring into my own piercing blue.

"Ooh, somebody's jealous," Janco called. I could hear the smirk in his voice. I wasn't mad at his comment, for it had identified the unknown feeling that brewed inside me. Jealousy.

"Valek, don't kill him … yet" Yelena added.

"So _you're_ Valek? The infamous assassin?" Arich mocked me. I pressed my knife to his skin, causing blood to well where it cut him. His smile disappeared. "You killed the King?" he asked.

"Yes. Do you want me to introduce you to my knife? It's not very friendly," I said with equal sarcasm. I got up, not waiting for his answer, and held his arms behind his back, I manacled him.

Once the leader was down, the group followed without a fight. Ari and a few other men got Arich into the interrogation room and Yelena incapacitated his magic. The rest were thrown into the dungeon. We asked him about the other blood magicians, but he didn't know much. I guess they were playing safe and telling their troupes as little as possible. I finally asked him who he worked for.

"He's far from the top," Arich warned.

"I want his name not his rank," I instructed.

"Leonard."

"What?" Ambrose, Prudence and I screamed simultaneously.

Ari led the man out of the room, since it was clear the interrogation was over. I sank to the ground shaking. Most people had left the room, but Yelena remained.

She touched my cheek. "What is it?" she whispered.

"It… it's my father's name," I replied at the same volume.

Yelena leaned in and touched my lips gently with hers. "Maybe—" she began.

"No it's him," I said. I closed my eyes, definitely ending the conversation. For some reason, I was furious at Yelena. She hadn't told me about Arich. It was irrational, but my anger ruled me. I got up stiffly and walked too my rooms.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

I was greeted by silence. The only sound was Yelena's soft tread on the second floor as she prepared to leave early.

"Where are you going?" I demanded, still filled with rage. I already knew the answer but I somehow needed to hear it.

"I think we should leave early. The attacks have already begun and they are only going to get worst. We must get Brielle to safety." Yelena picked the bundle of blanket that contained our sleeping daughter. My anger subsided considerably. This child was amazing. Only five days old, and already capable of controlling my emotions. Incredible.

"Love, you didn't tell me about Arich," I said while I stuffed Janco's junk bag with clothes and supplies.

Yelena said nothing.

"Is there some particular reason why?"

Again, she didn't answer.

"Will you at least let me know _if_ you're going to tell me?"

My soul mate finally looked at me. "Sitia," she whispered. "I'll tell you when we get to Sitia." I didn't question her reply. When Yelena didn't tell me something, it was for a good reason.

I saddled Kiki the next day so Yelena could ride, and Brielle as well, thanks to an improvised harness. I prepared Emerald – my own Sandseed bred horse – for the voyage. I was still mildly angry at Yelena and I assumed that one of the causes was jealousy, the other being the need to blame someone for my father's betrayal.

I didn't understand his choice of allegiances. The blood magicians were ruthless, crude people. My father used to be a proper, intelligent man, until the slaughter of my brothers changed our lives – mine in particular. I guessed that my choice to become a devious killer, an assassin, played a part in his choice of loyalties. The thing that had really driven him over the edge was my mother's suicide, which he seemed to believe was a murder I had committed. My weapon of choice being a knife, it must have affected his judgement of the delicate matter.

Why hadn't he acted before though? It had been over twenty years since I had made my decision. I couldn't understand why he had suddenly made his.

Maybe all those years of solitude had finally gotten to him and he had snapped. Another theory of mine was that he had been planning this the whole time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Now, with the war, he had it. As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold. The last one was the most probable. My father was like me, in a way—or maybe I was the one who resembled him. He liked to take his time with the bigger things, and once he put his mind to something, nothing was impossible. The man was as stubborn as a mule. He could probably travel through the stars if he wished it. He was old, but with an unseen strength.

I left my thoughts as I realized we had already crossed the border into Sitia and that the sun was setting. I led Emerald to the inn where my family would be spending the night. My family. I liked the ring that had to it. I hadn't had a proper family since I had been thirteen. I sighed and helped Yelena and Brielle off Kiki, leading her into the stables.

I arranged a room for the night and asked to have dinner brought upstairs. Yelena announced that she was going to take a bath and left the room. When she returned, Brielle was crying in my arms while I desperately tried to calm her.

Yelena took her daughter from me and expertly changed her. Then she sat down comfortably on the bed. Brielle had quieted a little and it was now obvious that she was hungry. Yelena lifted her own shirt and offered the little girl her breast. The crying instantly stopped as she suckled. I took advantage of the situation to go clean up.

At my arrival, Brielle was sleeping in her mother's arms. I lifted her into the cradle the innkeeper had provided and sat down beside Yelena.

"You owe me an explanation," I said.

My soul mate didn't answer.

"Yelena," I warned, my anger returning.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid or rash," she said.

I looked at her questioningly.

"Don't kill him unless I tell you to."

"What did he do to you?" I choked out.

"I met him at the Fire Festival one year. He was the friend of a friend. He was sweet at first and we started going out. Then he... changed," tears started streaming down her face. "What you saw in Ixia was nothing. I can't count how many times his hand met his mark."

A sob broke loose from Yelena's chest and she leaned into my arms. I kept her close, not speaking, letting her cry herself out. Eventually, dinner arrived. I opened the door and took food. The innkeeper, a woman, questioned me when she heard the weeping. I reassured her and moved back towards the bed. Setting the tray on the table, I sat down on the edge of the bed. I ran my hand down the smooth skin of Yelena's back, slipping a hand under her shirt.

"I swear, when I get back to Ixia, I'll kill the bastard myself," I promised.

"You can't," she said. "He has answers and information we might need."

I sighed and sat back. I couldn't understand why or how so many people could hurt one girl. Being an assassin, I had killed many people, but I never tortured anyone for my own enjoyment—that was just sick. So many times I had looked away, pretending not to see how deeply Yelena had been marked. Even after so many years, she still regularly woke up screaming or sobbing. I understood why she had so much trouble placing her trust in somebody. During the few years I had spent with her, I had learned that – although she would never admit it – Yelena required some taking care of. She needed someone strong enough to protect her, but also someone to trust and love her.

It took a week of travel to get to Leif and Mara's house. Their daughter, Angelina, was a few months older than Brielle. If both children had magic, Yelena and her brother planned to send them to the Keep together. When we got to the little house, Mara came running out side and ushered us both inside, where little Angiie—the nickname that had been given to Angelina—was on the floor, playing with something. Mara made us eat and then, while Mara gushed over Yelena, I discussed the political situation in both countries with Leif. I didn't tell the Soulfinder's brother about Arich, for which I could see that Yelena was grateful. He agreed with our choice to travel to Sitia, although the attacks were more numerous – we were safer here. Magicians could act openly here, guarding the population from the Vermin.

I walked into the living room. Yelena was leaning towards the hearth, staring intently into the flames. I walked up behind her and put my hands on her shoulders. I knew what to do, but Leif wouldn't like it. I sighed. I had no other choice. Tightening my grasp on my soul mate, I shook her violently. She collapsed into my lap. Leif stared at me as if he couldn't believe what I had just done. Then he moved towards his sister and stared at the soulless shell of a body.

"Come back!" he yelled at her, grabbing her shoulders.

I pulled Yelena away from Leif, knowing that her soul was in the Fireworld. I placed her body gently on the couch and pushed away Leif's arm. "Shaking her won't help. She'll come back when she finishes her business."

Yelena didn't come back that day and the only reason Brielle didn't go insane was because Mara still breast-fed Angelina and accepted to do so with my daughter as well. That night, the dreams returned.

My mother's lifeless body leaned forward to hiss in my ear, "Foes turn to friends, and disappearances reveal feelings. Magic Blood alliances broken."

I woke with a shudder. The smell of death and despair was overwhelming. I needed Yelena more than I had imagined. My arms felt empty without her to hold and I had no distraction from the frustration that filled me. The same words were said repeatedly in every single dream, but I couldn't figure out what they meant. I made my way downstairs to see if her body had been filled. What I saw shocked me. The body was gone. I sprinted back up the stairs trying to hold on to the calm I had established a moment before.

"She's gone," I said to Leif.

"What do you mean 'she's gone'?" Yelena's brother asked.

I sighed and pulled him down the stairs. His widened when he saw the empty couch.

"She's gone," he repeated my earlier words.

I turned to him, inhaling deeply, as I tried to remain calm. The key word being _tried._ "That's what I just told you, imbecile!" I exploded, shaking Leif as if to wake him. A shocked look covered his face. I didn't blame him. I probably looked ready to murder him.

Something touched my shoulder. It felt like a brush of cool air. I turned, letting go of Leif in the process. Both of us gaped at what we saw. Yelena was standing behind me. Her figure was like a mist—smoky and slightly translucent. She looked different, her hair floated gently in a non-existent breeze and her clothes were... There's no way to describe them really. They seemed to be made entirely of fire, shadow and sky, as if all three worlds had joined together to make her attire.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but would you mind telling me where you put my body? I can't find it," she said.

My eyes widened. I was actually seeing a ghost. Not that I was scared, but… let's just say it isn't something you see every day.

I shook my head, clearing it of thoughts. "It isn't here... I think," I replied.

"What?" Yelena shrieked.

I took a step away from the angry woman's soul before responding, "It's gone and we have no idea where it is."

"Well go find it," she ordered.

"What about you?"

"I'll be in the Fireworld until you return. I can't stay out here or my body will die," she clarified.

"Do you have any idea where your body is?" I asked her.

Yelena pursed her lips. "I think... um..." Her eyebrows pinched together. "It's near the border," she finally said.

"Who took it?" I asked. She seemed to be connected in a way to her physic in a certain way and I needed information.

Yelena frowned in concentration. Magic brushed my arm. "Prudence."

I looked at her confused. "Why would she take it? She doesn't even know you."

"Because of Leonard."

I wanted to know more, but Yelena's soul started to fade and she turned towards the fire.

I cursed and sprinted towards the door, ignoring the Leif's questions. Running to the stables, I saddled Emerald and rode out towards the border. The week-long trip was exhausting, but I kept to it anyways.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

I picked up the pace when the border came into view. The guards there saluted when they saw me.

"Did anyone pass by here?" I asked. One of the men led me to the guardhouse, where Prudence sat on the floor, manacled and tied up. Well, that was much easier than I thought.

"Where is it?" I demanded, taking her chin roughly in my hand. She tried to pull away, but I kept a secure grip.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said innocently.

"Don't play that game Prudence. We both know I'm better at it than you." I stared deep into her hazel eyes while I waited for an answer. "Why don't you save us some time and energy by telling me where you put it?" Prudence didn't respond. The guard behind me was getting restless. He knew what would happen if she didn't tell me. Prudence averted her gaze and shut her mouth in determination.

"Prudence," I warned. I grabbed her wrist, preparing myself to use strength and pain on her if she did not give me an answer. The woman continued her facade. I sighed and pressed my fingers into the pressure points on her wrist. She screamed and twisted her arm in pain. I released after a few seconds.

"Are you ready to tell me now?" I sounded bored.

"I'll never tell you!" she screamed. I raised my eyebrows, sensing there was more. "What does it matter to you anyway? She's dead now."

"Dead?" My laugh was disbelieving. "Ambrose told you himself. She's a Soulfinder. Her soul can exit her body and return afterwards," I explained. "On top of that, her body was breathing."

Prudence didn't answer. I asked, "Are you sure you want to do this the hard way?" Again, she said nothing.

I shrugged. I had nothing to lose. Pressing down onto her wrist once more, I watched her scream, while tears ran down her face.

The guard behind me asked, "Sir, surely this isn't necessary?"

I turned to him, letting go of Prudence's arm. "Are you questioning _my _judgement?" I demanded.

His eyes grew wide with fear. "N—n–no, no Sir. I was just curious," he stuttered.

"Curiosity killed the cat," I answered, my statement implying much more than a simple saying. The man's face blanched and he started backing away.

I turned back to Prudence, my expression expectant. She cried, her eyes closed. I reached for her arm again. Her eyes flew open. "No! Stop! I'll tell you. Just please don't hurt me again." Her last words were barely a whisper, as she begged for mercy. I pulled away, waiting.

"It's in the forest. I put it there when I knew they were going to catch me," Prudence whimpered, waiting for my response.

"Why?" I asked.

"Leonard," she said, but before I could interrupt, she continued. "I didn't want to, but he threatened to hurt me even more, expose me as the spy and tell the blood magicians everything. I don't even know why." She was sobbing at this point. I was surprised because Prudence had never been the one to show her weaknesses.

I reached towards her wrists to unlock the manacles, but she jerked away. I caught the chain between the two cuffs. "Easy," I said. "I'm not going to hurt you. You told me what I wanted." I crouched down in front of her and picked the lock on the handcuffs she was wearing. I still wondered why she had reacted the way she did. Something told me that she had been hurt badly in the past.

I helped her stand. We walked past the guards, who all glanced at me with fear in their eyes. 'Good,' I thought. That'll teach them not to mess with me.

She led me through the trees until we arrived at a small cave in a mound of rock. Yelena's body lay inside. After I checked that it was in good condition, I had Prudence start a fire while I went to get Emerald.

When I returned, Prudence was sitting in front of a large fire, watching the flames move. I sat down beside her and, all of a sudden, I was back in the north, making plans to takeover Ixia. I closed my eyes to make the vision disappear. When I opened them, Prudence was looking at me.

"What?" I asked.

She smiled. "You haven't changed a bit," she said.

"I'll assume that's a compliment."

She chuckled. "It is."

"What did you mean; 'hurt me even more?' Did he already," I asked. I wanted to know if this was why she had reacted so violently to the use of pressure points.

"Yes," she whispered. "Valek, he raped me. And beat me." I don't know why she was telling me this. _Me, _of all people. Prudence was sobbing and I had no idea what to do.

"He won't do it again," I said to her.

"But he will. If I don't report to him in the next two weeks, he'll send someone after me. Then I'll be brought back to him and he will hurt me. Maybe even kill me." Then she did something very surprising. She leaned her head onto my shoulder. Slowly, my movements hesitant, I gently wrapped my arms around her in a friendly embrace.

"Shh... You're safe." I couldn't believe I was reassuring a woman who had been abused by my own father.

She looked up at me, something burning in her eyes. "Valek..." she hesitated. "I've liked you for a long time and..." My mind was unable to process what she had just said so I just waited for her to continue. "I don't want you to be with Yelena. I want you to be with _me_. The only reason I was so annoying was because I was trying to hide my emotions from you."

Wait what? She wanted me to _be_ with her? I unwrapped my arms from around her waist and gently pushed her away. Before I could do anything more, her lips crushed mine and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I felt magic brush my arm. There was a flash and the fire grew slightly. This distracted Prudence long enough for me to push her off of me. An angry huff caused me to look up.

Yelena stood over us, fury and betrayal burning in her eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

Her jaw was tight and her hands were balled into tight fists. In any other circumstances I would have laughed, but her wrath was directed at me.

"If you were going to cheat on me, you could have at least had the decency to do it in private and not at the entrance to the Fireworld," she ground out.

"I –" I began, but she interrupted me.

"And why did you even bother to keep up the facade? Why didn't you just run away with your girlfriend _before_ Brielle was born?"

"I –" I tried again. She didn't let me finish.

"God! I can't believe I fell for your stupid lies! And to think I actually mothered your child!" Yelena shuddered in revulsion. "I'm such an idiot!" She put her face into her hands and started sobbing.

I stood and glared at Prudence. Then I put my arms around Yelena. She shoved on my chest, trying to get away from me. "Don't even bother," she said.

"I wasn't cheating on you," I attempted to explain. "_She's _the one who kissed _me."_ I pulled her closer and gave Prudence a death glare over Yelena's shoulder.

Yelena leaned away from me and started to move towards Prudence. I grabbed her arms to stop her. "I'll kill you," she vowed.

Prudence completely ignored her and said to me, "I can see why they say she's a good match for you." I gave her a full power death glare. She looked away, intimidated.

"Why?" Yelena demanded.

"Why, what?" Prudence said, complete innocence coloring her tone. Slight confusion was evident there too. I can't say I blame her. Even I wondered what Yelena was asking about. Was she talking about her body or the fact that Prudence had just forcefully kissed me?

"Why did you take it?" Yelena asked. She had changed the subject, but I knew I was going to suffer for what Prudence had done later. I gulped internally at the very thought. Even I, a master assassin, feared Yelena's wrath.

"I told you already," Prudence sighed. "Because of Leonard," she said, exasperated. We had been going over this for an hour now and the same question kept coming back over and again.

"Yes, I know that. But what does he want with my body? I mean, he doesn't even know me and I'm guessing the only reason he 'joined' " she made quotes in the air with her fingers. " is because he thinks he is going to get a shot at Valek."

"Look I have no idea!" Prudence finally yelled. "The _only_ thing I know is that he's on their side. I don't even know how I'm going to explain all of this to Ambrose."

It was my turn to sigh now. The Commander would believe Prudence, not my father. There was no question about that. How could she doubt that? "Prudence, Ambrose is going to believe _you._ Besides, what's he going to do; ask the enemy for their opinion? That's idiotic."

"I think you should go see your father," Yelena said in a quiet voice. "It would help. Who else will he listen to if not his own son?"

I gaped. "My father _hates_ me. He'll kill me if I even set foot on his land," I objected.

"Kill _you?"_ Yelena laughed. "You're not five Valek. What's he going to do; spank you?"

"Worse," Prudence said. "Shove a stick up his ass," Prudence said, snickering.

I ground my teeth together and stomped away before I hurt anyone. I sat down on a large mass of rock somewhere deeper in the forest, throwing pebbles at the vital points of any animal stupid enough to cross me when I was this frustrated.

"I hate you!" I yelled at no one in particular, chucking one last rock at a jittery squirrel that just happened to fall from a tree, startled by my sudden outburst.

My rage still not quenched, I threw off my shirt and dived into a nearby stream. I swam laps up and down its length, trying to wear off my anger-induced energy.

The rustling of leaves caused me to jump. I looked around; ready to kill whoever was enough of an imbecile to stalk me, Valek, _the_ infamous assassin of the late King of Ixia.

Yelena stepped timidly out from the bushes, avoiding my first few attempts to ward her off. I was an emotional wreck. I was unable to think straight, let alone hit someone. Her green eyes were slightly darkened with some emotion, but she hid it well.

"We're leaving," she announced. There was no trace of anger in her voice, but I knew she was mad. Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked away, back in the direction she'd come from. My first thought was to let her go, but then I remembered we only had one horse for the both of us. Slipping back into my shirt, I sprinted after her through the woods.

When I emerged in the clearing I had been in before, I found both Prudence and Yelena on saddled horses. Prudence had been manacled to hers and the reins were tied to Emerald. My horse was stiff under Yelena's posture. Without warning, I climbed onto the horse and, sitting down behind her, I broke her grasp on the reins.

"I'm leading," I told her. She sighed and started to dismount so she could sit behind me. I blocked her way with my arm. She harrumphed and leaned back into my chest. I released one arm from the reins and wrapped it around her waist. She struggled against my grip stubbornly. Prudence snickered behind us. She had obviously known that the chain of events that had taken place would lead to a similar situation.

During the trip back to Leif and Mara's house, I mostly tired to win Yelena back and Prudence mostly laughed at me.

One night, Yelena fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the days travel. Prudence had already dozed off, so I decided to take a chance. Quietly, I rolled over to Yelena's side. My arm bumped hers and she stirred. I stiffened and waited for her to still again. Then, ever so gently, I wrapped an arm around Yelena's waist and pulled her close. Yelena's eyes opened almost immediately and met mine. She opened her mouth to say something, but I silenced her with a kiss. She shoved against my chest until I moved away. She slapped me, hard. My cheek stung and I knew it was going to leave a mark. I could almost hear Janco laughing at her stubbornness.

"What was that for?" I asked stupidly.

Yelena didn't answer; she just tried to get away from me. I chuckled while she squirmed. Soon enough though, I was forced to stand us both up so I could keep a solid grip on her. After a while, the girl in my arms seemed to realize that I was much stronger than her and that I wasn't planning on letting her go anywhere.

"Beg for forgiveness," she ordered, pointing to the ground at her feet. I got onto my knees in front of her without hesitation, keeping an unbreakable grasp on her hips. I lifted her shirt with one hand to expose her flat stomach. Running my lips across the skin there, I looked up at her from underneath my eyelashes. I felt her shiver in my arms.

"So, you think –" I interrupted her, running my hands over her thighs. "– That you can kiss your way –" I stopped her again by moving my hands upwards underneath her shirt. "– Out of this?" she finally gasped, shivering again as my fingertips traced her bare skin.

I stood and continued to kiss her passionately. She whimpered against my lips and I whispered into her ear darkly, "I think I just did."

"Can you two keep it down?" Prudence's voice cut through my perfect moment. "I'm trying to get some beauty sleep here."

"I didn't know ugliness was a curable disease," I teased, but also trying to make it clear that I didn't share any of her feelings.

Her face fell a bit when she understood what I was hinting, but instead of elaborating on the embarrassing subject she just said, "Shut up, assassin. At least I don't need anger management."

"I wouldn't be throwing insults if I were handcuffed to a tree," I taunted her again, gesturing to her chains. Even though she had changed sides, Yelena still didn't trust her. I think part of the reason why was that she had kissed me.

She glared at me, tugging at her solid restraints.

"Yes you would," Yelena cut in.

I shrugged, "You know me."

"Too bad you're immune to magic, or I would have zapped your head off already," Prudence pouted.

"It doesn't work. I've tried," Yelena laughed. Were all females so annoying?

Even if I had been susceptible to magic, they wouldn't be able to get a clear shot at me, thanks to my assassin skills. I took a deep breath and rolled over, hugging my soul mate and drifting off into a light slumber.

I awoke the next morning to Yelena drawing designs lightly on my chest with her fingertips.

"I thought you were mad at me," I said.

"I was. You kissed your way out of it."


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

We arrived at Leif and Mara's house the next day. Brielle's screaming could be heard outside. Yelena jumped off Emerald and rushed into the house right away. I came inside, but I decided to only spend the night, because Prudence and I had to go back to the castle. I had been gone over a month and the country was in war. Leif wanted to go with us, but I convinced him it was irresponsible to leave two women and children unprotected.

After I said my goodbyes to Yelena, we were off. Not much was going on in the castle, to my surprise. Instead of having me command soldiers, Ambrose sent me back south to gain information. Prudence was given a similar duty, but in the north – where the damage left by the attacks was less pronounced and there weren't as many battles.

Before I began my espionage duties, I stopped by to check on Yelena and Brielle. As expected, my soul mate was upset about being left behind. I knew that I couldn't take her with me, not only because she had to take care of Brielle, but also because I couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Instead I left her behind, promising to come see her soon.

Information was hard to gather. The Vermin's troupes knew only what was necessary to complete the task that was assigned to them and no more. Going into their camps incognito was near impossible; the magic swarming in the air made it extremely difficult to move. I checked in with Yelena often and the next year passed so quickly that it was hard to believe.

When came to see her for the last time before leaving for Ixia, I was surprised to find that Brielle now ate normally and didn't need Yelena to survive anymore. I stayed with my family to celebrate my daughter's first birthday. It was a small event, seeing as she was only a small child and the war's conflicts just kept developing more and more.

Yelena was tired of being 'completely useless' as she put it and 'perfectly safe' as I put it and decided she was coming to Ixia with me one last time, before heading to the Citadel to organize and train magicians. Leif wanted to come too, but his sister managed to get the idea out of his head. Instead, he made his way to the Keep to see what he could do to help there and to announce Yelena's arrival. Mara was staying behind with Angelina and Brielle. Her husband instructed her to go to the Zaltana homestead if things got too intense.

One last night we spent in the cottage and then we packed and made our way north. Leif left Yelena and me about half-way there to take a detour route to the Citadel. We weren't attacked many times on our way to Ixia, for which I was grateful.

On the night before we reached the border, our tiny campsite was attacked by half-a-dozen men.

I woke and sat up instantly. Someone was coming, and fast. I moved to wake Yelena, but she was gone. I swept the campsite with my eyes, searching, but she was nowhere in sight. Not wanting to be caught unprepared, I pulled out my sword and stood, ready for action.

At that moment, a scimitar landed blade-first into the ground at my feet. Men stepped into the clearing. I could already see that they outnumbered me, but I would be fine with Yelena's help.

The leader stepped out from the shadows, his figure outlined by the glow of a lantern behind him. He was holding something, or rather, someone.

"Looking for something, Ghost Warrior?" the man asked. He pulled Yelena into view. He had a hand clamped over her mouth and a knife pressed to her throat.

"Let her go," I said, recognizing him as the brother of the Blood Magician I had killed the month before. "This fight is between you and me."

"As you wish." He pushed my soul mate back towards his men. "That should keep them busy while we play the game. Don't you think?"

I snarled and prepared to launch myself at him. He held up a finger. "Now, now," he cautioned with his finger, as if I were a child. "I suggest you wait for me to explain the rules."

I snapped my teeth together, stopping myself, but keeping my eyes on my captive lover.

"This is how it's going to play out. Two of my men and I will fight you, while the others watch your girl. If I win, you will be bled and I will use your blood to increase my powers. Also, my boys will have a night of fun, before the plaything meets the same fate," he said, gesturing to the men that held Yelena. Fury blurred my eyesight until I saw red at his use of the term _'plaything'._ "If _you_ win, well," he laughed. "We'll all be dead so that's where it ends." He laughed again. 'Yes,' I thought. 'Dead... After endless hours of torture.'

My eyes narrowed as the first three victims approached. They attacked. My eyes flickered from my opponents to Yelena during the entire fight. I was in full control of the battle and my enemies were soon lying dead at my feet.

I moved towards the rest of the men, who were staring at me with a mix of fear and amazement in their eyes. I was reluctant to let them live, but I decided to let the fear spread. Pointing my still-bloody knife in their direction, I motioned with my chin for them to run. "Scram," I ordered. "Warn your _friends_." My mouth twisted on the word 'friends', turning it into an infuriated snarl. They obeyed, instantly turning and running back the way they had come.

I knelt down beside Yelena and freed her from the restraints that held her. I pulled the gag out of her mouth first and then moved on to the ropes binding her wrists and ankles. It was evident on her face that she was trying to hold in her fear. I pulled her close and held her while she shook. We gathered the remains of our campsite, mounted and set off on our last day of travel to Ixia.

We reached the castle at noon. While Yelena went to clean up, I went to report to the Commander. When I arrived at his office, he put on a furious expression. I had some explaining to do. I had been gone for almost a full year.

"Where the hell have you been?" he yelled at me.

I didn't bother to waste my time making up excuses. I sat down in the seat facing his desk and gave him a full report on what I had learned.

When I was finished and Ambrose had no more questions, I went to my suite.

Up in our room, I found Yelena searching through a drawer of clothing while she changed. With a silent step, I walked up behind her and put my hands on her hips. She froze, her spine straightening. I chuckled quietly and bent in to nuzzle her neck. She relaxed at the familiar gesture. She had a good reason to be afraid—she had been standing in her undergarments, when a man walked up and grabbed her. I chuckled again and spun her to face me.

"What's so fun—" I kissed her, not allowing her to finish her sentence. With a sound of contentment, she melted in my arms. I held her more tightly, wanting to keep her in my grasp, safe from all trouble.

Eventually, she pulled away and laid her head on my chest. If you thought about it, I having a woman in my arms was ironic. I was an assassin and most of the soldiers—who weren't married—did not. I chuckled once more at the irony.

"What's so funny? You're rarely in such a good mood," Yelena said again.

I laughed. "Oh, nothing. Life is just ironic." Yelena pulled away slightly to look at me. "I was laughing at the fact that you're mine and that most of the soldiers don't have anyone." I laughed again.

Yelena frowned. "How is that ironic?" she asked.

I ignored her question and said darkly, "You have no idea how many of them envy me."

"Envy you? There's nothing special about me."

I let out an amazed laugh. Was she blind? Did she not see how men looked at her? Yelena was extraordinary. Not only was she tough, but she was also extremely beautiful. She was small, but had long powerful legs. Her small hips were emphasised by a tiny waist. Being from the south, she had a full chest, darker coloring and rare, gorgeous green eyes. My northern skin tone was especially pale compared to her.

Finally, Yelena moved away to get dressed with an unconscious grace. When we were both ready, we walked to the Commander's office for dinner. I told her about my plans to go see my father and Yelena agreed.

**Hey, just in case any of you are interested, I want to give you a few details on how I name my characters, since quite a few people that have read my stuff (here and at school) say that I'm good at finding character names.**

**See, at first, I gave my character random names, but one of my friends told me that names have meanings so I became addicted and kind of creepy with name-definition stalking. Because of that, I give my characters names with meanings that fit their personalities.**

**If any of you want to do the same, here are some sites that could help you. You can search by any words from the definition or simply by name: http : / / www . name-meanings . com  
http : / / www . behindthename . com **

**Karl (:**


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

We sat at the desk when the food taster arrived with dinner for the three of us. She set Yelena's and my trays in front of us and walked across the office with the last one. Malory was the most unlucky person alive. She constantly dropped things and tripped over her own feet. Since she was here, Ambrose's food had already been poisoned seven times. As she walked, the toe of her boot caught on Yelena's chair and she dropped the food. The contents of the tray splattered onto my soul mate.

"Oh, God! I'm so sorry ma'am," she said, the blood to rushed to Malory's cheeks in embarrassment.

"I'm fine," Yelena reassured her. She stood up and swatted food off of her clothing and shook it out of her hair.

"Malory!" the Commander barked. "You will go fetch another tray of food for me and then you will go and help Liaison Zaltana clean up."

"Yes Sir," she said. "I'm sorry again, ma'am." Then she turned and left hastily.

After the girl had disappeared, Yelena protested, "I'm really all right. I'll go clean up myself."

"No, you won't," Ambrose said curtly. "That girl is a constant source of trouble. I swear Star was better than her." Yelena winced at the mention of Star's name.

Malory walked into the office carrying another tray. She laid it down in front of the Commander and was about to taste it, but my employer raised a hand in dismissal. She stood and followed Yelena out of the room like a lost puppy.

I walked to Ambrose's side, preformed a quick taste of his food and was about to leave when he stopped me. He motioned for me to sit.

"So, Valek, do you enjoy being a father?" He raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. "What is it that you want?"

His expression became serious. "I was thinking about this problem that we have with _your _father. I believe that you should show him your daughter. He was constantly bugging you to get a proper life and a family." He chuckled.

I gaped at him. Did he honestly think I was going to put Brielle in that kind of danger? "He'll murder her. I am not going to take that risk with my daughter."

The Commander watched me for a while with curiosity. Then he abruptly changed the subject, "What do you know about this war that everyone keeps prattling about?" he asked.

"That war has already begun in the south, Sir." Then I told him about the importance of bringing magicians to Ixia and the specifics to all the information I had been able to gather while in Sitia.

"Do you have any contacts in Sitia?" Ambrose asked.

"Not many, Sir. I have removed most of my corps for safety reasons. We would have been detected."

He nodded and replied, "All right, I want you to go in as soon as possible. Figure out what's going on exactly."

"Yes Sir."

"We're going to need some new players..." He nodded to himself, lost in thought. "Check with Liaison Zaltana if she has any contacts that would be willing to help us." For some reason, the Commander rarely called Yelena by her name now.

"Yes Sir." I started to leave, but he stopped me again.

"And Valek," Ambrose's voice was grave. "I know you love Yelena, but in times of war, you cannot let that interfere with your duties. Your country needs you. I'm sure she has work to do in the south too."

I nodded and walked to my rooms in silence. Passing by the Power Twins' suite, I was intercepted by Janco.

"Ari has abandoned me," he sobered.

I grunted in amusement. "What do you expect me to do about it?" I asked.

"Tell him go get off of Maren. I'm scared to go into my own suite because of what they might be doing." Janco shuddered in revulsion.

"I have a better idea, get a life," I said. "And a girlfriend," I added under my breath.

He heard me and called after me down the hall to come train with him, Ari and Yelena later in the afternoon.

Sure enough, we did meet to train. Though, we were more people than expected. Ari and Maren arrived hand in hand, although I had to admit that when they spotted me, they moved away from each other. Janco and I came alone and – to everyone's surprise – Malory followed Yelena. I thought she was bound to impale herself on a sword and, sure enough, Malory tripped on stray equipment and landed on the ground at our feet. Maren snickered and the rest of us looked away to hide our smiles.

"What is _she _doing here?" Janco demanded, jerking his chin at the food taster.

"_She _has a name," Yelena informed him.

"Fine. What is _Malory _doing here?" Janco sneered. It was unlike him to be so judging. I wondered what his problem with Malory was. Ari must have been thinking the same thing because he elbowed Janco in the ribs, warning him to shut up.

"The Commander said we need more players," Yelena said. "Player number one." She pointed to Malory.

"But she's just a food taster," Janco whined, unable to produce a better argument. Yelena raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

"I could leave," Malory suggested in a quiet voice. She started walking away, but Yelena grabbed her wrist.

"Nobody who is recruited by me is a failure. Therefore, you are forbidden to quit," my lover ordered.

"You recruit people?" I scoffed. Yelena shot me a dirty look. After a while, Ari got tired of watching us bicker and stopped us. We trained through the rest of the afternoon.

As it turns out, Malory wasn't completely hopeless. She was an excellent climber and could wield a whip with ease. I taught her a few tricks with it.

**There will be a meeting with Valek's father as promised, don't worry. It should be coming up in about two chapters (:**

**Karl**


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

I was walking back to my suite with Yelena by my side when she suddenly asked, "Valek, do you think I'm pretty?"

I slowed. What kind of a question was that? "Of course I do," I answered. It was the truth.

Yelena nodded to herself before asking again, "Why?"

I stopped walking. "Can we talk about this later?" I wasn't the romantic type and I wasn't going to embarrass myself in the hallway with my pitiful attempts to seduce Yelena. She frowned but was quiet.

As soon as the door to our suite was locked behind me, she questioned again, "Why?"

I studied her. "Because I love you and you're beautiful," I said. "Why are you asking me this?" I needed to know what had brought this on. Yelena never worried about her appearance, and it certainly wasn't like her to _ask_ about it.

She didn't say anything. I went to sit down on the couch beside her and pulled her into my arms. "I'm scared, Valek," she whispered suddenly. This surprised me. Yelena never admitted her fears aloud.

"What is it that frightens you?" I asked as I kissed her forehead.

"We're going to need a lot of new candidates," she said, avoiding my question. I waited for my answer, knowing it would come later.

"Valek?"

"Mmm..." I murmured against her hair.

"I'm scared of what everyone expects of me." I knew now what she was worried about. Two-thousand years ago, the Soulfinder Guyan had decimated the opposing army and flattened the Daviian Mountains in the process. Yelena was afraid to disappoint everyone with lack of power. I understood her questions now. She needed encouragement.

"I'm setting out to see my father in the morning," I announced. I hoped that I change of subject would take her mind off of the tasks that lay ahead. "I need you to come with me," I continued. Not only would this allow me to stay with her for a while longer before we were apart, but both of us could use the extra information. We quickly made plans to leave and got ready for bed.

I had made my decision. If it was encouragement Yelena needed, I was going to give it to her. When I arrived in our room that evening, Yelena was sitting on the bed, reading a book. I pulled it from her grasp and silenced any questions she might have with a kiss. She tugged at the fabric of my shirt and my lips curled up into a smile – this was exactly what I wanted, to make her forget her problems. My lips moved down her neck as she pulled my shirt over my head.

I awoke the next morning to the first light of dawn. Yelena was splayed across my chest, her breathing slow and her expression content. I traced my fingertips over the bare skin of her back and moved her hair away from her face. Her eyes opened when I caressed her cheek. I smiled at her. "Good morning," I whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Valek," she sighed. I loved the sound of my name on her lips. It made me feel warm inside. I closed my eyes and remembered how many times she had sighed my name last night. I shook my head. This was not the time to get distracted.

"Valek, what?" I asked for her to continue. I don't know if there was something specific I wanted her to say or if I just wanted to keep hearing her voice.

"Just... Valek," she said. And then after a pause, continued, "I had wonderful night, if that's what you're talking about?" It wasn't, but I loved to hear her say it.

"We should get going if we want to cover some ground today." Yelena pulled me out of my reverie. She was right. I started sitting up, keeping Yelena in my arms.

I then realized what I wanted to tell her, "You're going south after the trip, correct?" Yelena nodded. "Promise me you won't go wandering off on your own."

"I'll be very careful," she said.

"Yelena, I can't bear the thought of losing you." I took her face between my hands. "If you're ever in a difficult situation, or you have doubts about some plan, don't take your chances. You understand me?" My lover nodded. "Yelena," I warned.

She sighed. "I promise."

"Good. Keep it that way," I told her.

We both got dressed and then I left Yelena in the room to pack while I went to report to the Commander that we were leaving.

When I came back to the suite, Yelena was already dome packing for the both of us, so we left right away. The warming season had just begun, so I'd made sure we both had warm clothes and I had added a tent to our luggage. It might not protect us from the cold, but it would be a big help for the freezing winds in the north.

The voyage was tiring. I could see Yelena's strength leaving her as the weather grew colder. I had grown up here, so my body was used to the cold, but Yelena had lived in southern Ixia and in Sitia her whole life. I did my best to keep Yelena warm and was grateful that we had come near the end of the warming season. The chill was twenty times as bad during the cold season. After watching Yelena shiver for a seven day period, I was almost glad to see my old family house appear in front of us. Almost.

Not wanting to risk Yelena, I left her near the horses, and went to knock on the door. It opened to reveal a familiar sight and smell. My father stood in the doorway.

At first, he didn't recognize me, but when he did, he screamed, "_You._ How dare you show your face here after all the shame and trouble you brought to this family's name?"

**Awww... Isn't that a nice family reunion? XD Leonard isn't a very nice person, if you ask me. But there will be some details as to why soon.**

**Karl**


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

I took a step back as he rushed me. He missed, but pulled a knife off his belt and lunged at me. Thankfully, Yelena stepped into view and acted.

"Freeze." He voice was powerful and I felt the magic that enveloped Leonard's body tingle against my skin.

He stopped moving, his knife frozen in mid air. I reached up and freed it from his grasp.

"Release me at once, you good for nothing woman," Leonard yelled at my lover.

Yelena's magic disappeared and the man fell to the ground at our feet. He tried to lunge at me again, but Yelena stopped him.

"Are you done?" she demanded. He grumbled, but nodded. "Good. We are here to discuss some business with you." Leonard led us to the house without further disruptions.

When I entered, the first thing I noticed was that nothing had changed. All the furniture was in the same place it had been more than twenty years ago and the house had almost the same smell – leather and honey – it wasn't the best combination, but it smelled like home. I looked around and happened to look at Yelena's face. Her expression was one of horror.

Since Leonard was no longer in the room, I put my hands on her small shoulders and whispered, "What is it, love."

She shook her head and took a few calming breaths before answering. "This place is swamped with lost souls."

I took a look around but saw nothing. I felt Yelena's hand come on top of mine on her shoulder and suddenly everything was clear. I could see Lucian – my oldest and favourite brother – lounging on the couch in the living room. Alexis – my middle brother – walked down the hallway and Ruben – the youngest of the three – paced the front room. Unconsciously, I took a step towards them. Yelena's hand left mine and the view returned to normal.

I had killed the King for nothing. I had killed my brothers' murderer and they had stayed here, unable to reach their final destination anyways. For the first time in I don't remember how long, I felt guilty.

I shook my head to banish those thoughts. "Go," I whispered. "Do your job."

She moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. Then she began to converse with someone I couldn't – but desperately wanted to – see.

I hung up my cloak and went into the kitchen. Leonard – to think of this man as my father was an impossible task – sat at the table, his brown eyes full of hatred and fury.

"What do you want?" he demanded. "Haven't you already caused this family enough trouble?" I noticed how he said _this_ family and not _our_ family – obviously implying that he did not want anything to do with me. Even though I had never warmed to him – even as a child – I felt a small pain deep down as a feeling of rejection settled in my chest.

"I want to know why you're doing this," I answered calmly, ignoring the emotions that were stirring inside me.

"Doing what?" He feigned innocence.

I took a deep breath and put a hand on my forehead, hiding my closed eyes. "The blood magicians speak of you as one of them."

"What else am I supposed to do?" he asked, giving up his earlier pretence of innocence. "I am not weak like your mother. I will not allow myself to be killed by your treason towards my family." Once again, he failed to include me in his term of family.

I sat back in my chair, rethinking his words. I never got the chance to answer because Yelena walked through the door at that moment.

"I'm done. And I didn't find anything," she reported the lack of physical proof of Leonard's alliance with our enemy.

"Who is she and what right does she have to go through my personal belongings?" Leonard demanded.

"Leonard, this is Liaison Yelena Zaltana; my partner." _My heart mate and the mother of my almost two-year-old daughter, _I added mentally, although I found it more prudent to skip saying that information aloud.

"Leonard? No matter how much I hate you, you are still my son and you will address me with the proper respect," he ordered, standing from his seat.

"I am speaking to you in the exact way I should. You have refused to treat me as part of the family since I made the choice to join the Commander in his rebellion, so I will address you in the way as I wish," I told him. "You are no longer an authoritarian figure in my life – in fact, you have never been – I was raised by my mother and brothers. Consider yourself lucky I call you by your name and not in the way I should call an enemy.

"Now, to continue with our earlier business," I said. I pulled my knife off my belt and stood behind him, putting it against his throat. I forced him back into his seat. "Since you refuse to tell us what we want to know on your own, we are obliged to use a forceful method."

Yelena took a seat in front of Leonard. "What do you know about the location of the Daviian camps and their battle plans?" she asked, going straight to the point.

Leonard pursed his lips, contemplating her question. I pressed my knife tighter to his throat in warning.

"All right, I'll tell you everything I know. On one condition," he said.

"I wouldn't be placing conditions if I had a knife to my throat," I reminded him of his situation. Yelena threw me a look.

"I propose a deal. Hand over your girl for a night and I'll give you all the information I have."

Yelena's face blanched with fear. Her safety was in my hands – as always – and I found myself somewhat angry that she doubted me. "Absolutely not," I snapped.

"Why not, son? Do you not owe me at least one of the nights you took away from me by killing your poor mother?" His tone confirmed to me that his sick suggestion seemed perfectly logical to him.

"I do _not_ owe you anything. I did _not _kill my mother and Yelena will _not_ pay for my mistakes." At this point, Yelena was incapable to move with fear. Keeping my dagger pressed firmly against his throat, I hissed at him, "There will be no deal."

"There will be no information." I pressed my knife harder against the skin of his neck. Blood welled. "We'll see how that fragile little Sitian blossom of yours does against a stronger magician." The smirk in his voice was evident.

Yelena recovered and stood. "You don't know anything, do you? They really didn't tell you?" she said. Her eyes narrowed into slits. "Do you have any idea who I am?" she asked, incredulity filling her voice.

"It doesn't matter who you are. No matter how strong your magic is, you go down in the end. The soul is the weakest point. And that's one piece of information they did tell me."

"Really?" she asked, feigning interest. "Would you show me, if I gave you what you want?" she asked.

"That's more like it." He paused, looking back at me. "See, son, that woman has some common sense." This really meant: _you should be more like her_. "Come here, baby." I swallowed the bile accumulating in my throat. I had never liked my father, but to see him like this was... indescribable.

Yelena took a step towards him, slipping her cloak off in the same movement. I had to look away, keep my eyes on Yelena, if I wanted to avoid retching. I stepped away from Leonard, waiting for the signal that was bound to come.

I felt magic emitting from Leonard as he recognized the ruse a second too late. I knew Yelena's soul was protected. She had told me that a long time ago. The question was; would Leonard understand the danger?

I knew exactly when his magic reached her because Leonard gasped. "Soulfinder."

Yelena smiled and gave me a short nod. The man crumpled to the floor when the hilt of my dagger connected with his temple.

Yelena and I remained on our feet a couple of seconds to verify that he was definitively down. When he didn't move, Yelena dropped into a chair, relieved. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

"We should go," Yelena said. "He doesn't know anything. There's really no point." She sighed. "Maybe you should tie him up or something so that he doesn't escape when he wakes up," she suggested when I glanced towards the stairs. I was tired and I had the feeling I wasn't going to see Yelena again for a while.

I pulled Yelena up the stairs and into my old room. I gasped when I entered. Nothing had changed. All the furniture was still here – gathering dust – and my bed was still in the same childish sheets it had been in before the takeover. The bed was made – the way my mother had made it the morning before she had died. I had a sudden urge to flee from the room. The quilt was embroidered with different articles of a knight's attire and my name was sown into the corner of the material. My mother had made the quilt for me when I had been a child. She had made similar ones for my brothers as well.

I suddenly realized that Yelena was no longer by my side. I looked around and saw her looking at the small collection of toys that still sat on a shelf. I walked up behind her and started to pull her away from the shelf, but she resisted and picked up one of the wooden figurines.

I sighed. "I guess he didn't get rid of my old things," I said sheepishly. I didn't want Yelena to see all this. I watched her carefully as she observed the toy. I swallowed nervously. She put it back and went over to the bed. Running a hand along the material of the quilt, she sat down. Then I saw it; there were tears streaming down her cheeks. I moved to sit next to her.

"Why are you crying?" I asked, wiping her tears away with the back of my fingers.

"My parents didn't keep any of my old things," she whispered. "My father turned my room into part of his laboratory."

I didn't know what to say. I had no idea why my father kept my old things; I could specifically remember him emptying my brothers' rooms after they had been killed.

_"No, Leonard, please," my mother sobbed._

_"Be quiet Emma, this is for your own good," my father said sternly. He threw another one of my brothers' belongings into the huge pyre he had built._

_My mother tried to stop him when he broke the next piece of Alexis' furniture. "Valek," he snapped at me. I looked up at him, frightened by his sudden outburst. "Control your mother," he ordered._

_My mother had always been a small woman. Most people in our village wondered how she survived carrying four boys. I wrapped my arms around my mother's small, shaking frame and pulled her away from the pyre. "Come on mommy," I said. I had hoped that calling her the name I had used as a small boy would calm her, but it just seemed to agitate her further._

_"Valek," she wept. "My baby. How can you let him do this? You have to stop him," she sobbed, clutching me to herself._

_"Hush," I tried desperately to calm her as she her shoulders shook with sobs. "Everything is going to be all right."_

_In the morning, all of Lucian's, Alexis' and Ruben's belongings had been turned into rubble._


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

The next morning, I awoke with a sleeping Yelena in my arms. Both of us were still dressed and that kind of bothered me. I had wanted to spend a night with Yelena before she had to go to Sitia, but I couldn't because of my stupid childish bedroom.

I clutched her closer, trying to block out the profanities that Leonard was shouting downstairs. I sighed and gave up when Yelena's eyes opened.

"I have to go," she whispered after getting up.

I nodded once and said, "I'll deal with him." She stood up on her toes and pressed her lips to mine. I clung to her, wishing that she could stay, but the Commander's words returned to my memory; "you can't let that interfere with your duties."

I came down the stairs and watched Leonard's expression become surprised at the fact that we had stayed here for the night. I walked up to him.

"You obviously don't know anything, so I'll deal with you alone," I said to Leonard.

"You would kill your own"—he stopped as if remembering something. "Sorry, I forgot to whom I was talking too. I suppose if you can kill the woman who gave birth to you..." he trailed off. "Go ahead."

I turned to Yelena and pulled her against myself. I pressed my lips to her forehead. "Go. You don't need to be here for this."

"Are you going to...?" She didn't have to finish her sentence. I knew very well what she was implying.

I shook my head in reassurance. "But I will teach him a lesson," I said, turning back towards him.

I pushed Yelena towards the door. "Stay safe," I ordered.

"Always." I watched her ride out of sight and then turned to go back into the house.

"So," I began, taking a seat in front of him. "Why?"

He looked at me for a while and then said, "Because I wanted to get back at you. You betrayed our family." For the first time, he included me in the family. "Yes, the King's soldiers had no right, but you..." He paused. "You went out and became a killer. You killed the King when you were barely fifteen," he said. "What kind of a person does that? And, more importantly, what kind of a father lets their son do that?" I stared at him in amazement. There was a side to him I had never seen before.

"Emma was smarter than me; she figured out where you were getting the money more quickly than me. And I don't know why you killed her, but you did. And that was the final straw. I knew I needed to get back at you then. You were a child and, already, you had tainted yourself with the worst crime imaginable—murder."

I let him live that night. I left him be at the house and left for the castle.

I felt strangely fragile as I made my way across the snow-covered training grounds.

I didn't have much to do the next day. I helped with training troupes for the battle that was on its way a little, but not much besides that. I ate dinner with the Commander and then retired to my rooms. I still had a funny feeling that something was wrong. I needed to focus if I wanted to figure out what was bothering me.

I went to my carving studio and opened the window to let the breeze wash out the smell of abandon that had settled in the air. I realized how long it had been since I had been here. Before Yelena, I had spent almost all my free time in this room, but since she had come into my life I had carved a lot less. And I had been here only once or twice since Brielle had been born. I suddenly realized how much of my time and attention my family consumed. Not that I minded, but it was different from what I had expected.

I searched through the different rocks I had placed on the long table near the back of the room. After selecting a long piece, I sat down and started the grinding wheel. I didn't know what I was going to make and I worked late into the night by candlelight.

When I finished my work, there were only a handful of hours left till dawn. I held an intricate rose in my hand. My first thought was how I couldn't remember ever carving anything so perfect. And then I decided I would give it to my daughter.

I blew out the single candle that had resisted until now and made my way to bed. I fell asleep quickly, but my dream chased away any peaceful feelings that carving had brought me.

Yelena was alone in the dark. She screamed my name, begging me to help her. She was hurt; her naked body was covered in bruises and cuts. At first I wondered why she didn't move if she had the strength to yell, but then I saw that she was chained up. I tried asking where she was, but she didn't appear to hear me.

I woke soaked with sweat. All I knew was that Yelena might be in trouble. But then, wouldn't she have connected with me? I wasn't completely positive of my lover's safety, but I decided to remain in Ixia – my first priority being my duty to my country. My dream could have very well been caused my worry. I resolved myself to heading south only if the nightmare returned.

The dream never came back, but I received a message from Opal. I wondered why she would write to me. Usually, if she needed assistance, she would give Janco a DID – damsel in distress – signal. I opened the letter, curious. The content was brief, but shocking.

_Valek, _  
_ You must come to Sitia right away. Yelena has been captured and missing for a week now. Most are certain that she is dead, but I am not so sure. I'm sure you share my opinion. Also, as if you didn't have enough on your head, Leif is furious and demands you take Brielle back. Please come to the Citadel as soon as you receive this message._

_ Opal Cowan_

_ (P.S.: Feel free to come see me with anything you might need. I know this is a lot to take in.)_**  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20**

I quickly did the math in my mind. Assuming that Opal wrote from the Keep, it would take a messenger traveling on foot two days to reach the border and then another to reach the castle. Yelena had probably been captured at least two days before they received notice. Adding all these extra days, I estimated she had been missing for two weeks in the least.

My decision was made instantly. Yelena needed my help. I went to see the Commander and told him the news. He muttered something about expecting a similar situation and agreed that I should go see how things were developing in the south. I left Opal's letter in the Power Twins' suite – letting them know what was going on – and then headed out.

I arrived at the Keep the next day, at sundown. I couldn't even remember how I got here, the trip was a blur. I made my way through the Keep's gates, not bothering to conceal my identity. I didn't see the point. I made my way to Iris's tower in a kind of trance. People were descending on me, asking me questions. They still kept their distance—considering my reputation—but they were still much closer than I was used to. I couldn't even discern their individual voices. The questions they asked mixed together until they turned into a dull buzz.

The door opened on the first knock and the Master Magician pulled me inside before the mob could swallow me up. I perched on the edge of her couch, ready to spring into action at the slightest disturbance. It was then that I truly realized the reality of the situation. Yelena was really gone. 'No, not gone,' I argued with myself. I would know if she was dead. Wouldn't I?

Iris watched for a while and then said, "I'm sorry, Valek."

I looked up at her in surprise. I had assumed that if there were people who believed Yelena was alive, she would be one of them. "Do you truly believe they killed her?" I asked.

Iris sighed and nodded sadly. "I'm not completely positive yet, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. We have our strongest magicians searching – I have even checked myself. There is no sign of her in the entire two countries."

"But what about null shields?" I protested. There had to be hope. There just had to. "They could have one around her."

"As I said, we have our strongest searching. If there was a null shield, they would detect it." At this point, I was looking for some tiny piece of hope to cling to. No matter how small.

"Valek, according to Sitian law, Brielle is your responsibility," Iris said, changing the subject.

"What do you mean 'according to Sitian law'?" I questioned.

"'When a woman mothers a child for a man to whom she is not bound to by any ritual—marriage and such, for example—the child _and _the mother become that man's legal responsibility,'" she stated. "I do not know what nationality your daughter took on, but Yelena is Sitian and that law applies to her and Brielle."

"She took on both," I said.

"Excuse me?" Iris asked, confused.

"She took on both nationalities. Yelena and I aren't married so Brielle has both our nationalities. Brielle Zaltana Ixia," I clarified.

I sighed. There was nothing else to say. "I'd better go get her," I decided. I started walking towards the door, but then thought it over better. Did I really want to go outside into a mob of curious people?

I turned back to Third Magician. "Do you mind if I... use your window?" I asked.

A look of surprise flickered in her eyes for a second, but she settled it. "Not at all. You'd better go out the back." I nodded and climbed out.

Finding Leif's quarters from the rooftops was easy. No one bothered me and the buildings were all visible. When I got close, I scaled the wall back to the ground. I didn't want to cause a fright by entering through the window. Straightening my clothes, I knocked on the front door. Mara led me to the sitting room.

Leif was sitting on the couch and Brielle and Angelina were on the floor. As soon as my daughter saw me, she reached out saying, "Papa."

I swooped down and lifted her into my arms on my way to the couch. Holding her close to me, I placed a kiss on her forehead and looked up at Yelena's brother.

"As you already know, my sister has been captured and is most likely dead." I flinched when Leif spoke the word. "I have taken care of and given Brielle a home while Yelena was alive, but she is no longer my responsibility. I have other matters to attend to and I don't have time to take care of a little girl."

This took me by surprise. He wasn't the one taking care of her – Mara was. Why did Yelena's... absence change anything? "Do you really think I could raise a child?" I asked him.

"That is not my concern," he said. I looked at him in surprise. "I have never truly agreed with my sister's choice of partner – not that you aren't a good man – I just didn't want my sister involved with an assassin. I always knew it would get her into trouble. And now, look what you've done. You've gotten her killed."

I glared at him. I was beyond furious. He was lucky Brielle was in my lap, or I would have killed him right there. "You think this is _my_ fault?" I demanded.

"Oh, no. I don't think, I _know_," he said. My eyes narrowed. "She's gone Valek and there's nobody to blame but yourself. For not being there." Now I felt guilty.

"You know what Leif, you're right. It _is_ my fault. And I'm going to fix it. And believe me, when I find her – you're going to be sorry you messed with me," I threatened.

"I can't imagine how you could turn my own sister against me."

"I'm not going to turn her against you, what could possibly give you that idea? I am merely going to show you that I take care of what is mine."

"Yours?" Leif said, incredulous. "Yelena is anything but yours."

"Aha!" I said. "You said 'is', you do think she is alive."

Leif gave me a weird look and then, "If you find her, which you won't, I will personally make sure you never see her again."

"Really?" I asked. "And, pray tell, how do you think you'll manage to do that? We both know how stubborn Yelena can be."

"Easy. I'll give her away to someone who _can_ take care of her," Leif said.

I swallowed slowly. "You wouldn't," I answered, taking care to pronounce each syllable.

"I would, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. I have legal permission – as her brother – to arrange a marriage for her if I wish."

Even I had no answer to that. He was right, after all. But was he really going to take away Yelena's choices after what she was probably going through at this moment? And then a thought struck me. The King's curse. _ As soon as you find her, you will lose her and there will be nothing you will be able to do._

The answer to my unspoken question was in that sentence. Would Leif take away her choices like that? Yes, yes he would and he will.


	21. Chapter 21

**I just want to warn you up front. This chapter contains graphic references to rape and other forms of sexual and physical torture. It is not necessary to read it if you don't feel up to it. The chapter explains Yelena's ordeal with the Blood Magicians. She is not fighting back with magic or physicaly because she is broken. She has no strength left and a void surrounds her.**

**You have been informed.**

**CHAPTER 21**

Yelena POV

It was dark – it was the only thing I could say about my surroundings, as I had no idea where I was and how long I'd been here. Time didn't pass the same way when a person was in constant pain. Instead of being counted by sunsets and rises, it was counted by the come and go of the pain. That's how I counted time now. How I'd been counting time ever since the pain started.

I was pulled back into reality by a sharp pain between my legs. My eyes flew open and I could see the man on top of me. He slammed into me once more and I cried out in pain. Something ripped and I felt warm liquid run down between my legs. The monster above me made a sound of disgust and stood. I lay panting and trembling, unable to move. The man's hand came down on my cheek with a sharp sound; my cheek stung.

"Get up, bitch." He tugged me up by the arm. "Are you ready to tell us what you know?"

I almost gave in right then. But then I remembered all the people counting on me. I couldn't let them down. I had to keep our battle plans and numbers a secret. "No…" I croaked in a broken voice.

"Whatever. The boss wants to see you."

I whimpered pathetically as he dragged me out of the room and down the hallway. In some corner of my mind, I knew that I should try to fight—all my skills had deserted me—I knew that I should be ashamed by the lack of dignity that being dragged down the hallway naked offered—I had no dignity left to fight for—and I knew that there was a reason to why I was doing this, resisting them—I couldn't remember it though.

The boss' office was a horrid place; especially for me. It held only memories—if such horrid images could be counted as memories—of pain and darkness.

As we entered, I was thrown onto the freezing stone floor and left there. The boss walked over to me and turned me over with his foot—as if I were a dead animal and not a human being. "Well, whore. You learn something today?"

He didn't give me the time to answer before he kicked my side with enough force to break a couple of ribs and propel me against the opposite wall. He seemed to take pleasure in my suffering as I struggled to breathe and tried to sit up pitifully.

"Don't bother telling me that you aren't going to give anything away, let's just get right to the torture. Hmm..." he said with a smile.

Then he snapped his fingers and a man entered. He lifted me off the floor, his hands exploring my body in sensual and unnecessary ways. He attached me to a wooden frame with handcuffs behind the boss' desk. He took several clamps from his pocket and demonstrated to the boss where he should place them to make my pain worse. His hands traveled across my naked body, pausing once in a while to touch me in inappropriate ways. Usually, I would have done my best to ignore this, but today, an extreme anger filled me as his hands touched a place that I never willingly given anyone but Valek access to. I lifted my head with difficulty and snapped my teeth at him, enraged. I saw red. Nobody touched like that. No one.

"Get the hell away from me you fucker!" I shrieked at him. "Don't you _dare_ touch me."

"Whoa," he said, pulling his hand away as I snapped at him again. "She's a feisty one. You think I can play for a bit if she survives?" I snarled, but neither of them paid any attention to me as they laughed together.

The boss came up to me and did the worst possible thing when the man was gone. He ran a hand tenderly down my side and placed a heated kiss on my collarbone. "Hush, my sweet. He's gone. We're alone now and you and I can have some fun." I snapped at him, taking a bite at his fingers before he could pull them away. Blood welled on my tongue and I was filled with a feeling of satisfaction. But the feeling deserted me and was replaced by fear as he removed a knife from his belt.

His knife raised high in the air, preparing to strike me. "You will have the proper respect towards me, slut," he said before the knife came down and slashed across my cheek. I cried out in pain loudly. "Consider yourself lucky this is the only punishment you'll be getting from me. If it were anybody else, they would have killed you on spot." Then the knife came down once more and he the boss ran it roughly across my skin—making a cross on the side of my face. The cuts bled horribly, but the boss didn't pay any attention to that. He placed the clamps that the other man had given him on the pressure points on my body and tightened them to their maximum.

I knew what the pain of the clamps felt like, but even though I could predict the feeling it gave, nothing could prepare me for this pain. The wave of agony exploded and expanded through my body. I felt the blackness trying to take over and I gladly succumbed. Unfortunately, the boss noticed and fiddled with one of the torture devices, preventing me from escaping into oblivion.

I don't know how long I was under the effect of the clamps, but, when they released me, I felt like crying out in joy. What came after removed whatever tiny piece of happiness I had felt.

The boss stood over me. He snapped his fingers once more, and the same man as before entered. He undid the manacles that held me in place and I slumped to the floor. Then he proceeded to pull me down the hallway and outside into the Daviian camp. I saw my prison come into view and I was relieved that I was done suffering for the time being.

The guard threw me inside the large cage and let the flap of the tent fall, leaving me in the dark. I moved around, trying to find a position that would at least mute the pain that was my constant companion. Moving slowly, I ramped to the far side of the cage, secluding myself in a corner. I had hidden something there. The one thing that kept me going. I moved my hands around on the floor, searching for the piece of fabric that awaited me after every torture. When I found it, a kind of glee filled me. I lay down on the cold, muck-covered floor and brought the material to my face.

Valek's scent enveloped me like a warm embrace. I felt safe and I was able to relax my spasming muscles. With a sigh, I slipped into his shirt and imagined being in his arms again. And, after a while, I was. I lay on a soft bed in my lover's arms. I was warm, comfortable and safe from all harm.

At that moment, the metal door of my cage slammed open. A large man stood in the doorway. "Well, look what we have here," he boomed. I cowered away from the sound of his voice. Then the light shone upon his face and I recognized what was waiting for me.

Brazell stood in the doorway, brandishing a small leather journal. "Why don't we finish what Reyad begun…" he said with an evil smile.

**This is not the only chapter from Yelena's POV, but one of few. Not all of them will be like this. I will always let you know in advance so that you can make the choice to read it or not.**

**Karl**


	22. Chapter 22

**If I don't post what POV it is at the beginning of a chapter, I am automatically sending you to Valek's thoughts.**

**CHAPTER 22**

I pulled Brielle closer to me, protecting her from the cold night wind. I was going to have to travel on foot. Horses were far too easy to track and I would be able to travel faster with my daughter on foot than by horse.

I left the Citadel quietly, trying not to attract any attention to myself. The last thing I wanted was to hear rumors starting about me having a daughter. This was an unknown fact—Leif and Mara had told everybody Brielle was the daughter of a distant cousin, not Yelena's and mine. If the news came to be known, Brielle could be used as a weapon against both Yelena and I, as both of us were prepared to give ourselves up for her.

I traveled the entire night, not stopping for more than a few minutes, and only when Brielle grew tired and said she wanted to go to sleep.

"Papa," I felt a light tug on my sleeve; I looked down at my daughter. I had stopped many times to help her move on. But now it was late into the night and my daughter looked positively exhausted.

"You must be tired," I said softly. Brielle nodded with a yawn. "Come here." Gently, I picked her up and tucked her underneath my cloak. She was asleep in mere minutes. I could feel her breathing against my shoulder as a continued.

I didn't stop all night, as I wanted to get to the castle as soon as possible. I crossed the border a couple of hours before dawn. I glanced down at my daughter; she still slept in my arms. Brielle shivered when the cloak fell away from her body slightly. I tightened my grip on her and pulled my cloak around her shoulders. I was tired and I still had an hour on the road before I reached the castle—place where Brielle should be safe. It was the most and best protected building in entire Ixia.

I sighed and sat down, resting my back against a tree. Brielle moved in my arms until she was splayed completely over my chest. I stilled. I wasn't used to anyone being comfortable this close to me. Apart from Yelena, of course. Not that she'd ever be close to me again. I shook my head to rid it of those dark thoughts. Of course she'd be in my arms again. I would find her, prove Leif wrong and then… And then what? Nothing. Leif had his rights. And, unfortunately, they included taking away Yelena's.

I looked down at Brielle once more. I still had a hard time coping with the fact that she was mine. Even though I had had nine months to get used to the idea that my child was growing inside Yelena, I still couldn't wrap my head around it.

I sat with my back against the tree for several minutes. Eventually, my daughter's eyelids fluttered and opened. She looked up at me sleepily.

"Hey," I whispered softly.

"Papa, are we there yet?" she asked.

"Almost baby," I promised.

"Where are we going?" Brielle asked. "Are we going to see mamma?"

Pain sliced through my chest, but I suppressed it as well as I could to give my daughter an answer. "No, we're going to see your uncles." Ari and Janco.

"My uncles? I have other uncles?" Brielle said in disbelief.

"You probably don't remember them. You were very little when your mother left Ixia with you."

"Oh." She didn't seem to have anything else to say.

Softly, I kissed her forehead. "Don't worry. Go back to sleep, we'll be there when you wake up."

Brielle studied me. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to decipher the expression on my face. "You're sad," she finally decided. And I was. I didn't know if I would ever see Yelena again.

"Yes." I saw no reason not to tell her the truth. If she was smart enough to see what I was trying to hide, then she was certainly smart enough to see if I was lying or not.

"Why?" she asked. I had no idea how to answer to that. She took my silence as a prompt to continue. "I don't want you to be sad, papa."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" I asked abruptly. Weren't small children supposed to say 'daddy'?

She shrunk away at the abruptness of my question. "Uncle Leif says it means 'daddy' in the Illias language," she told me quietly.

I calmed down. I didn't know why I had been so harsh. "I'm sorry," I breathed.

"It's okay, papa. You're upset because of mamma. Something's wrong and you're worried."

I looked at the toddler curiously. She was showing a great amount of intelligence for someone so young. I was speechless. Eventually, I just decided it was best to get on the road so I would arrive at the castle before the morning rush and attacks began. Holding a once-again-sleeping Brielle underneath my cloak, I set out.

When I arrived, dawn hadn't yet come, but the castle already buzzed with activity. Servants and personnel watched me as a glided down the hallways to my suite. Just as I was turning into the last hallway, I was intercepted by another advisor.

"The Commander wants to see you."

I shifted Brielle's weight in my arms. She wasn't heavy, but I wanted to make it obvious to the man that this wasn't the time. "Can this wait?" I asked.

"No, he says it's urgent." I sighed and followed him in the opposite direction of where I had been originally headed.

When we entered the War room, a lot of people looked at my cloak suspiciously – I didn't know why though, they should know that I was on their side after all the years – but I was reluctant to take it off. Brielle slept underneath and would be in full view if I removed it.

Ambrose looked at me seriously when the door to his office closed behind me. "And?" he demanded.

"She's either been taken hostage or to be used for the ritual," I informed him.

Brielle stirred in my arms and rubbed her eyes, the cloak falling away from her body. I pulled her closer. She squinted in the light of the lanterns. "Papa?" she asked quietly.

"Shh… I'm here, baby," I reassured her quietly.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Commander demanded when he saw my daughter.

"Leif said he couldn't keep her and I"—I didn't get a chance to finish.

"And you what?" Ambrose exploded. "You thought you could play nanny? That you could take that thing and keep it?"

Now I was angry. Slowly, I put Brielle onto the floor; she hid behind my legs from the Commander's ire.

"First of all, she is not a thing. She is my daughter and she has a name—Brielle. And, yes—I am going to keep her. She will not be put into adoption because you can't accept the fact that I happen to have a life outside my duties," I yelled.

"Yelena is the best thing that happened to me and now we have Brielle. And it's going to stay that way. She is a part of my family and I have responsibilities to take for that family. And they come before my job; no matter what I once swore. I was a stupid teenager and had no concept of the future or of what it would be like to have a family," I shouted at my employer.

"And if you don't like that, then you and your fucking government can go rot in a ditch because if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in power. And,_ Ambrose_," I said, putting an emphasis on the fact that I no longer referred to him as 'Sir'. "Right now, the only place for you I have left is up my ass."


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23**

Ambrose starred at me, speechless. I had never so much as raised my voice at him. Sure, I had argued, but never had I raised my voice to such a level. But I had had enough. He could no longer control my life.

"Valek, this is this is the last time you will ever disobey or disregard another order of mine. This has gone much too far, I no longer have a choice. Valek, you're"—his sentence was cut off when Brielle looked around from behind my legs. Ambrose took a deep breath and said, "Dismissed. I will see you in the morning."

I stalked out, furious. Silence filled the War room when I entered and all eyes were on me. I had no doubt that our fight had been heard, but I didn't care. I also had no doubt that I would probably lose my job tomorrow morning, but I didn't care either. All I knew was that the Commander had lost control of me and the feeling of freedom welled in my chest. I don't know why I had never tried this before.

With a determined step and a smile on my face, I headed to my suite. Brielle struggled free of my hold and went to explore the space when we got there. I didn't mind. It's not like she could get through locked doors—where all my weapons were stored.

I didn't follow her as she flitted from room to room and just concentrated on what was going to happen now. But after two hours—Brielle was finally done searching through the rooms and was now sitting on the floor drawing—I still came up empty, with no ideas. Where was Yelena? What was going to happen if—_when_—I lost my job as the security chief?

I looked at my daughter, who seemed very intent on what she was doing. She was drawing something with some wax crayons. I peered over her shoulder but she hid the drawing, scolding me for being impatient and telling me that I couldn't see it before she finished.

Eventually, I decided that I couldn't get Yelena back alone—if I could at all. I was going to need help. My thoughts immediately jumped to the Power Twins. But I didn't want them to lose their jobs as well. Even though I was positive that both of them would be willing to risk their positions for Yelena. She was like a little sister to them. I took my decision to ask them, but also to warn them about what could happen to their positions.

I glanced at Brielle's sleeping form. She had fallen asleep some time ago, with her head in my lap. I lifted her up and carried her upstairs. I was going to bed and I wasn't going to leave a toddler alone. I wasn't _that_ clueless with children.

Gently, I tucked her into the giant bed in my room and lay down on the other side of it. Making sure she wouldn't fall off, I slowly allowed myself to fall asleep. Once again, my visions of Yelena's predicament haunted my dreams. But this time, she didn't scream. She just lay unmoving and broken. And that was worse than before. That meant she didn't have any strength left to fight with.

I lay awake after that. The nightmares were too realistic and I worried they would suck me in. Watching Brielle sleep, I wondered what I would do. I was going to lose my job, both Sitia and Ixia were in war and the only person that was capable of saving them – Yelena – was in no way able to do so. I almost laughed at the impossibility of it all.

The next morning, I walked to the Commander's office with a slow pace. Even though I was constantly repeating to myself that I didn't care what would happen today, I still found myself dreading the conversation.

Ambrose, although only a decade older than me, was the only one in which I had truly ever found a father figure in. Who else was I supposed to look to back then – I was a starved fifteen-year-old murderer with no family or friends to hide or take care of me. The only option available was to turn to Ambrose – a man of ambition who promised to spare my life, food, water and a warm and safe place to rest if I accepted to help him.

And now I was going to lose him. My first friend. The only one to have ever seen my tears.

_I had just come back from making my twentieth kill under Ambrose's command. I had killed seven that night. I thought back with a certain feeling of proudness. But also a slight twitch of regret. I walked into Ambrose's office feeling confident. But the feeling deserted me when his cold gaze pierced me._

_"Did you complete the task?" he demanded as soon as I entered. My task, as he called it, was to kill a family that was close to the royal one. Ambrose said that it would serve as a warning that he was coming for them._

_"Yes, Sir," I replied quietly, my voice barely a whisper. I was fifteen and terrified of my Commander._

_He looked up at the weak rasp of my voice. "Valek, come here, please. And close the door," he said, gesturing to come around the desk._

_Obediently, after shutting the heavy wooden door, I contoured the desk to come stand in front of Ambrose's chair. "Yes, Sir," I said, even quieter than before._

_He turned his chair to face me and put his large hands on my upper arms. "I can see fear, Valek." I didn't bother replying knowing that he was right. Instead, I hung my head and looked at my feet. "Look at me when I'm talking to you," he ordered, but his voice was more gentle than before._

_A wet drop splattered onto the floor near his shoe when I looked up. I was more than surprised to find tears streaming down my face. Ambrose stared. "Yes, Sir," I whispered._

_"Valek, what… Are you all right?" he asked_

_And then I did something that I had never dreamed of doing. That I hadn't done since Lucian had died. "No," I said. "I'm not all right." The tears ran in rivers down my face._

_Ambrose did something that my father had never done—something that only Lucian would have dared. He pulled me into his arms. I stiffened, but soon I calmed down and the tears on my face dried._

_"Better?" the Commander asked. I nodded in response._

Too bad I pull off that trick anymore. I almost laughed at that. But then I arrived at the office door and the urge to laugh disappeared. With a final sigh, and a deep breath for courage, I entered.

"Valek," the Commander stated curtly. "I'm afraid I have a rather… unpleasant matter to discuss with you." I nodded my head obediently, keeping my face devoid of any emotions as I stood silently in front of his desk. "Take a seat." He gestured to the chair across from him. I kept my eyes cast downwards, for the first time in my life accepting subordination, as I perched on the edge of the seat uncomfortably. "It has come to my attention that certain of my orders to you have not been carried out as of the late, and such events have been becoming more and more frequent. As you know, under my regime, Ixia has zero tolerance for suck a lack of discipline." I refrained myself from replying, choosing instead to remain neutral, but his next words made my confidence slump. My shoulders fell a fraction of an inch—a move that I knew would have escaped anyone else's attention, but I knew the Commander's sharp gaze caught it—suddenly much heavier than before.

"As you know, the country is now at war and, in any other circumstances; I may have decided to simply accord you a punishment in accordance to your actions. But I cannot allow for weakness right now. This is why I'm afraid I have to discharge you from my service." The last words hung in the air, which seemed to have solidified along with the silence that had settled in the space between us. Without a word, I stood and left.


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

As I walked down the almost deserted hallway, I pondered. I was free to do as I wish. And then I realized something, I had never truly been free in my life. I had always been bound by some superior force, but now, for the first time in my life, I was free of that. The feeling of freedom bloomed in my chest once more.

Suddenly, the castle shook. Worse than the time it had happened when Brielle had been born. I put a hand on the wall, rebalancing myself. It shook again, harder this time. Crumbled stone fell from the ceiling. I looked up. There was a long crack following the length of the wall. I was getting out of here. Before the castle fell to peices. There was a huge blow, and I had just enough time to dodge out of the way before the outside wall crumbled and a hole was blown through it. We were under attack. The servants screamed.

Not hesitating, I started climbing out the opening. When I reached the ground, unsurprisingly, I was surrounded. Blood magician warriors were around me.

"Ghost Warrior, just the one I was looking for," one of them—presumably the leader—spoke.

"And, may I ask, why you were looking for me?" I said in a pleasant tone.

"Where is she?" he demanded, putting the tip of his sword to my throat.

"Where is who?" I asked, playing the simpleton. Most of the castle personnel were being led outside by other blood magicians, all of them gawking as they passed us. They had never witnessed me in a position of vulnerability—especially not with a knife to my throat.

"You know, who I'm talking about. Where. Is. The. Soulfinder." He said slowly, separating each word into a distinct sentence, as if speaking to a slow-witted child.

"As a matter of fact, I was just about to go look for her dead body," I replied with no emotion. Everyone knew about our relationship, but I wasn't about to make it even more evident than it already was.

The man's eyes closed to slits. "Why do you bother lying, Valek. You know we'll find her. And who else would know her plans if not..." He paused and, taking on a shrilly mocking voice, continued, "—her one true love and soulmate, Valek." He batted his eyelids, teasing me. I raised an eyebrow at his men, urging them to question his sanity along with me.

"Whatever, I don't have time for this. Get him to talk." He motioned for something behind him. A few men came out; one of them had a knife pressed to the Commander's throat. I almost panicked about breaking my vow to Ambrose, almost. But then I remembered—I was free.

The man glanced at me for a fraction of a second and then said, "Speak or he dies."

I pretended to hesitate for a few seconds, and then decided to call it a bluff—even though it clearly wasn't. "You're bluffing. Go ahead, kill him." I motioned with my chin in Ambrose's direction. In a way, saying that I didn't care was saving him. They needed Ambrose—whether they liked it or not. They wouldn't be able to control the population without him.

The leader turned towards me. "You fool; you actually think I would bluff my way through the biggest opportunity in my life. Killing the Commander of Ixia could gain me unimaginable power, and you think I'm bluffing." He laughed. "Well, why don't we find out if I'm bluffing?" he laughed again. And that one was an obvious bluff.

"Valek, you're going to let them kill me?" the Commander rasped through the magician's tight grip. Although his predicament, there was no trace of fear in his eyes. Only shock. He was clueless.

Oh, did I have an answer for that. Then and there, right in front of everybody, I said, "Saving you would mean giving my life. You freed me from my vow to protect your life with mine this morning—not five minutes ago. Dying is not an option for me right now. I have important matters to attend to. And people to kill. The very people you don't want dead. And guess what, you can't stop me. I don't have any obligations towards you anymore. So, as I said before, you and your government can go rot in a ditch. Along with your dead body." I grinned sadistically and pushed through the astonished crowd of people to break into a run and go free.

Ah, freedom felt good. Brielle was safe with Maren, who had left the castle with her at dawn. Ari and Janco were already on their way to join them and we would be breaking Yelena out of wherever she was. But still, a small part of my mind went back to Ambrose. I shook my head. The only reason they were planning on killing him was to control me. He was safe – the Blood Magicians needed him to keep Ixia in order.


	25. Chapter 25

**We have both Valek and Yelena in this chapter. There is much less angst in Yelena's part so it is safe to read for everybody.**

**I'm so proud of myself, I have mastered my busy exam schedule and done a great job on all my exams, and I have _still _found time to write some :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD**

***instant de souriage momentaire* - that was french, and all those who can tell me what that means get to have one of their stories mentioned in the next chapter... *dramatic pause***

**CHAPTER 25**

Yelena POV

I couldn't move. Not because I didn't want to, but because every part of my body was in agony. I couldn't remember my name or anything. All I could think of was the pain. I was scared, tired and I wanted to die. I had attempted to kill myself. It didn't work. They caught me. But one good thing came out of it. I found out there were others here. Other girls who needed help.

I was dumped into a dark room, where only crying could be heard. My eyes adjusted quickly, being used to the blackness now, and I could see the sad scene in front of me. A handful of girls – many of them much younger than me, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old – sat in the darkness and cried. I crawled over to the one that looked the youngest.

"Hello," I whispered. My voiced rasped, I hadn't used it at all since I had gotten here. I refused to speak, for fear of revealing something I shouldn't.

She whimpered. "Who are you?" she asked. I could see that these people didn't help each other out much.

"My name is Yelena," I said softly. I couldn't say I was here to help. My situation was the same as theirs.

All eyes turned to me. Their thoughts were written plainly on their foreheads. 'No, that wasn't Yelena Zaltana. It couldn't be. She would never get caught and end up in such a state.' "Zaltana?" a voice asked. They had to make sure.

I sighed. "Zaltana," I repeated in confirmation.

"But–but–but you can't be," someone said. They were obviously desperate. I didn't answer. I didn't know how. "Yelena is supposed to be untamable. And if you're here, that means they know. What do they know? We have to warn the others. We can't let them all die."

I admired her bravery. I would never be able to do something like that. I was no longer able to say otherwise that I was broken far beyond repair. It wouldn't be long before I gave up what I knew. "They don't know anything," I whispered. I put a hand to my cheek. The jagged skin was beginning to infect – puss and other liquids coming out it occasionally.

After they made sure that I had really not given any information, the girls fell asleep one by one. But I couldn't. I wasn't in my usual cell so I didn't have Valek's shirt. I needed his scent to get a few moments of peace. Since I didn't have it, I curled up on the cold floor and cried. I didn't care that I was weak. I didn't care that I was going to die – if anything, it would be a relief. Something that would put a stop to all the pain.

The door suddenly opened and I was dragged out. I didn't bother protesting.

Valek POV

I got to my safe house at around midnight. As soon as I entered, I could hear my daughter's whimpering and questions. Swiftly, I made my way down the hallway to where I had directed Maren to go. Opening the door, I scanned the room. Both of the Power Twins and Maren were seated around Brielle, attempting to silence and calm her. Brielle didn't seem to want to hear any of it and was demanding where I was.

When I walked in, she looked up and started to struggle in Maren's grip. The advisor let go and said, "Valek, thank God. That child has been driving me berserk for the past few hours."

I tuned for out, though. Brielle was standing at my feet and reached up towards me. I lifted her and asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet? Aren't you tired at all?"

"You're not asleep yet, too, papa." Was Brielle's answer. Just as stubborn as Yelena.

I sighed. "What have you been up to, driving Maren insane like that?" The other occupants of the room were staring at me. I realized I had been stuck in my own little world with Brielle. I gave them all a questioning glance. What did they expect? How was I supposed to be towards my own daughter – cold and calculating?

"You truly amaze me sometimes," Janco said.

I sighed. "Forget it. We need to find her."

"No, offense, to you, or to Yelena, or to anyone else, but how can you be so sure that she isn't dead? For all we know, she could be long gone; buried under six feet of dirt," Janco said. I glared. "I'm just saying. But, seriously, what are we going to do then? I mean, she is probably our only chance at gaining any ground."

"If Yelena is alive—which I strongly believe she is—we are going to win." The statement sounded true to my ears, if only I had imagined how wrong I was…

We set out at dawn. Brielle was still with us, but I knew exactly where I could bring her.

I stopped in the middle of the jungle and looked up into the trees. Yelena had told me about this spot and her cousin Nutty. They others were looking at me as if I was insane, and I knew I would just reinforce the idea if I shouted into the trees.

I took my chances, "Nutty!" Hopefully she would come down, even if she didn't recognize the voice. Janco was already leaning closer to Ari, whispering that I had gone mad into his ear. Then a rope ladder came down. A tiny woman with childish pigtails jumped down from the treetops. That was the Nutty from Yelena's description. But was she the real Nutty?

"Someone called?" she asked, turning to the group. "Who are you?" She looked me up and down.

Hesitantly, not sure of the Zaltana customs, I held out a hand. "I'm Valek." She stared at my hand until I gave up and let it drop.

She cocked her head to the side, observing me. "You don't look like I imagined you would," she finally stated. That was not the reaction I expected. "What are you doing here? And how do you know my name?"

"Yelena told me about you, and… I need to ask you a favor." Nutty looked at me attentively, with a small smirk on her face, as if to say, 'The great Valek asking me for help, this should be good'. I sighed. I knew that Yelena hadn't exactly told her family about Brielle. She told Leif, but neither of them had shared the information. "I need you watch my daughter."

"Your, what?" she shrieked. Well, that was a slightly stronger reaction than I expected. "Just when exactly did you get a daughter—and my cousin pregnant? And you'd better hope that Yelena is the mother, or you won't be around for very long," she threatened. Her hands were balled up into fists.

"Two years ago. And yes, Yelena is the mother."

"Where is she? I want to see her," she demanded. Her voice was full of authority—she expected me to obey. And, for once, I didn't mind.

I turned to Janco—Brielle was hiding behind his legs. I crouched down and said in a soft voice, "Brielle, come here. You have to meet somebody." Slowly, my daughter looked out from behind Janco, but continued to hide behind her shoulder-length curly hair. She came forward and closer to me and Nutty. I turned her towards Yelena's cousin and moved the hair out of her eyes, revealing their intensive blue.

Nutty gasped. "She looks nothing like her. It's all him," she whispered quietly, obviously to herself. She knew that I—as well as the others—had heard her, because she added, "She's beautiful, of course."

Nutty crouched down in front of my Brielle and held out a hand. "Hi, I'm Hazelnut. What's your name?"

Brielle gave her an odd look and didn't take her hand. "Brielle, but uncle Leif calls me Bree. You can call me that too, if you want," she said. Her chin perked upwards confidently. Nutty smiled at her.

She got up and said, "You're very lucky she's as adorable as she is." She gave me a sweet smile. For some reason, I knew I would get it from her.

"Thank you so much," I said. "And I'll find Yelena and bring her back."

"Wait. In return for keeping her, you have to let me punch you."

"Umm… What for?" I asked; this girl was honestly amusing.

"For getting my cousin pregnant and not telling me." She crossed her thin arms over her chest, showing me there was no opening for negotiations. "Also, I want to punch the most feared man in the world."

"Nice. Fine," I said. Nutty jumped up and down in her spot. I watched her for a moment.

"What're you looking at?" she asked. Then she turned and started helping Brielle up the rope ladder. She turned when I didn't follow. "Aren't you all coming?"

Janco was the first to go after her. We all climbed up. We didn't expect the small army that awaited us. Armed Zaltana's were waiting atop the ladder. They poked at, not trusting our Ixian appearance. They were right, in a way.

Nutty took a step in front of us. "Stop, you can trust them."

"But they're Ixian," someone protested.

"And since when are Ixians the enemy? Last I heard, it was the Blood Magicians—Sitians, people from our own country," Hazelnut retorted. "So shut up about Ixians and focus on the Blood Magicians."

"Who are they anyway?" someone else asked.

"This is Ari, Janco, Maren, Brielle and Valek." Wait for it… There! The dramatic gasp.


	26. Chapter 26

******No one got the french I put in the last chapter, and since I only got one try, I'll give you the answer since no one is interested: *instant de souriage momentaire* means *instant of momentary smiling* :D**

**CHAPTER 26**

"Wait! Let me get this straight… You let Valek—_the _Valek—into the homestead?" one of them shrieked at Nutty.

"You know, _the_ Valek is standing right here, and he isn't deaf," I cut in. The room grew silent. This was getting awkward. "Um… I'm not here to kill you…?" I tried. They remained silent, just staring at me. "You know what, I give up. Nutty, just take care of her for me, we have to be on our way anyway." I turned to leave, but a voice made rooted me to the spot.

"Take care of whom? Do you have news of Yelena? She's missing, you know?" I turned, knowing very well that it was Yelena's mother, Perl.

"Take care of Brielle. No I don't. I do," I gave a short answer to each of her questions before elaborating. "I'm on my way to see if I can find Yelena, I don't have any more information than you do. I know she's missing, Opal sent me a message. Brielle is the girl Nutty is holding. She is my daughter." I waited for Perl to grasp the link between 'my daughter' and Yelena.

"No," she gasped. "When? How?" her breaths were quick and short with fury. "You're dead. I am going to murder you. I can't believe this. You got her pregnant?" she screeched at me, ready to claw my eyes out. She made a lot of noise for someone so small.

"Um… Possibly." I refrained from taking a step away from her wrath. If there was one thing _the _Valek couldn't take, it was the wrath of an angry woman. She blocked my way out and glared at me. Shit. She was right—I was dead. There was no way I was getting out of this one alive.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, you know that?" she said. "And you're not leaving until I have every detail laid out in front of me."

"Um… do I have to tell you _every_ detail?" I asked quietly. She burst out laughing, obviously knowing what I meant.

"No, but most of it. And you'd better tell the truth, because if you don't…" she trailed off, letting me figure out the rest.

The rest of my group and Brielle were in the main room, the center of attention. Meanwhile, I was sitting in Perl's living room while she questioned me on every single aspect of life. I was forced to tell her everything—I swear I would hire her into my corps if I could.

"How is this possible? Why didn't you tell me? How did this happen? When did this happen? Are you sure you're telling the truth? How old is she?" And it droned on and on and on. Nobody was here to save me from the questioning. Perl shot questions at me, not even giving me the time to answer.

"Why aren't you answering to anything I say?" she demanded.

"I–" She cut me off as soon as I uttered one syllable and was off again. Crap, when was this going to end? She was worse than Vincenza—Opal's mother. Except then it had been questions about a wedding and not an entire catalog on my life.

"Look, just explain something to me, why didn't she tell me and did anyone else know?" Then she finally shut up and let me speak.

"I don't know how it happened… well I know _how_. But I don't know how it's possible. She probably didn't tell you because she was scared of your reaction. Leif knows and I don't recall him telling anyone. I think she didn't what everyone to know that we had a daughter. Neither of us wants to put her in any danger."

Perl looked at me for a little bit and then asked in a quiet voice, "Can I see her?"

"Of course, she's your granddaughter." Slowly, I got up. I walked towards the door, waiting to see if she would stop me or if she was truly done with the questions for the moment. When she didn't protest, I picked up the pace and hurried through the maze of hallways to Brielle.

My daughter walked in front of me slowly. I didn't know why, but it seemed as though she was afraid of Yelena's clan. I stopped her right before we reached Perl's quarters. Squatting down next to her, I whispered softly, "Are you all right, Brielle? There's nothing to be afraid of, this is your family, and they won't hurt you. You're going to stay with them for a little while."

"Why? I wanna go back to auntie Mara. Playing with Angiie was fun. Why do I have to stay here now? Can't I stay with you, papa?" she said.

I sighed, how was I supposed to answer that? I couldn't just tell her that Leif didn't want her anymore, and I could never tell my own daughter that her own father had no place for a child in his life at the moment. Instead, I just pushed her lightly towards the door.

Brielle harrumphed at my lack of response, but marched forward all the same. When she stepped through the door, once again hidden behind the dark curls—a habit I would have to get rid of—Perl gave a little gasp.

Then she spoke the same words as Nutty had, "She looks nothing like her." She looked up at me. "What's her name?"

"Brielle."

"Is that short for something? Does it mean anything?" she asked as she observed my daughter.

"No, that's her full name. It means Exalted Goddess, in the old Ixian tongue." I clarified. The question in her eyes was obvious, 'You're the one who picked it out?' "Yes, Yelena let me name her," I answered her silent question.

"Will she come closer; I'll understand if she's shy?" Brielle's grandmother asked quietly.

"Of course she will." I pushed my daughter towards Perl. "That's your grandmother, Brielle. You have to be nice to her. Go on, say hello," I whispered into her ear, just for her to hear.

Still hiding behind the veil of her hair, Brielle stepped up to the couch. "Hello," she said quietly. Perl jumped a little. Brielle had a thick Ixian accent. I don't know where that came from, because she had grown up with Leif, and not in Ixia.

"Hi," Perl responded quietly. "I'm your grandmother Perl. Why are you hiding your eyes behind your hair? I'm sure you have lovely eyes, darling. Here, let's move get those pretty curls away from them." She reached out and pushed Brielle's hair back. Her gasp was more pronounced this time. Brielle had my eyes—cold, blue, typical Ixian eyes. And intensively so. There was absolutely no way to disguise it. "Oh my, those are… some eyes, aren't they?" she muttered to herself.

"You don't like them?" Brielle asked, surprising both Perl and I. "_I_ like them. They're like papa's. Aunt Mara says she thinks they're pretty—she always dresses me in blue to 'show them off'. Or something like that."

"Of course I like them, honey. They're just different, that's all." Perl was stuttering, trying to keep up with Brielle's train of thought.

I knew I'd be leaving her in good hands, so I decided that we should leave tonight. Who knows what Yelena could be going through at this moment, and my heart felt like it had been skewered by a blunt blade at the thought of Yelena hurt.

**Okay, I'm going to try something new. I saw this in a story I was reading and I liked it. The author asked questions at the end of some chapters for the reviewers to answer, so I'm going to try it out (:**

**1. Why do you think Perl and Nutty have the same reaction as to Brielle's appearance?  
2. Where do you think Brielle's Ixian accent comes from, if she grew up with Leif and Mara?  
3. Anything to improve? Something you would like to happen in the story?**

**Karl**


	27. Chapter 27

**In this chapter, I'll give you an insight into Janco and Valek's mind.**

**CHAPTER 27**

"I'm telling you, we need a magician," I told Janco. He didn't seem to be able to get the idea that the Blood Magician camps would be highly protected, and there was no way through without the help of magic.

"No, we don't. You can get through the barrier-thingy with your immunity." He seemed proud of himself for coming to that conclusion.

I sighed. "No, I can't. There's too much magic. I probably won't be able to even move." Janco pouted at this, but didn't complain any further. "We'll get Opal. She probably knows someone." Janco brightened a little at the idea of seeing his Damsel-in-Distress. 'And my sister,' I thought.

Janco went up and knocked on the door before anyone else could. He could at least attempt to hide his excitement, I thought. Opal was the one to answer. That made me worry, Devlen usually answered and the thought that he may have gone to battle worried me. "Janco?" she looked over his shoulder at me in confusion. "Valek? What are you all doing here? Come in, come in." She ushered us inside.

When we were all seated, Opal began to question us, but I cut her off. We couldn't waste any more time. "Opal, do you know any strong magicians who would be willing to help us? We very much need their help."

Opal thought and then, "Strong magicians, yes; ones willing to help you, not necessarily. I don't have any magic, as you know."

"That's it, you don't have magic. You can come with me. We break in and get her back and come out heroes." I grinned.

"You're insane. No one even knows the _location_ of a Warper camp. And breaking into one is like going right up to death's door and asking for the end."

"Opal, please, I'm begging you, come with me. I'll get you out alive."

"I want us _both _out alive. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I caused my brother's death because he was trying to save me."

"And the rest of Sitia would consider you a hero." My companions were staring at the two of us.

"You two sound like you're in love or something. Yet, one of you is married and the other has a missing heart mate," Janco stated. I thought about it. And, I had to admit, we did sound close. But then again, weren't you supposed to be close to your family? Janco was so annoying sometimes.

"Siblings are _supposed _to love and look out for each other. Now shut up. You're just jealous because no one likes you," Opal said in a deadpan, suggesting that Janco was the one in fault and not her and me.

_"You_ like me." Janco laughed.

"No, actually, at the moment, I'm really pissed at all of you. I hate it all. The world is evil. And Devlen is gone. And if he doesn't come back…" She suddenly burst into tears and collapsed onto the floor sobbing. "I hate the war. I hate the Blood Magicians. I don't want anyone to die. I want the world to go back to normal. I want Yelena to come back and fix everything. I want to go home—I want my mother… and my father… and Mara… and Ahir… and Tula… I want my Tula back…" There was sob inserted between each short sentence. She finally trailed off into wordless tears. I didn't know how to react. None of us did. Maren had stayed behind in the Zaltana homestead, so we were three men with a crying Opal.

Was it acceptable to pull her close and hold her? That's what I did with Yelena, but Yelena was a different story. I decided to chance it. It didn't really matter, I guess. Slowly, I knelt beside her and pulled her up against me. She didn't protest; she remained limp in my arms. Sobs continued to shake her body, but she put her head on my shoulder for support. So I suppose I was of some help after all.

After she had finally calmed down, she stiffened in my arms, as if finally realizing who I was and what I was doing. She began to push away from me before Janco wrapped his arms around her, pulling her away from me.

I noticed how she instantly relaxed in his arms and I felt slightly jealous and hurt. Why would she be so afraid at me holding her? Was it because I was her brother?

Then Perl's words rang through my mind. _"You let Valek – _the_ Valek – into the homestead?"_

My chest felt tight at the sudden realization.

That was it wasn't it? She was scared of me because I was a master assassin? Doesn't she know by now that I would do everything I could to protect my family, that I would never let any harm come to them. And that whoever would dare even think about touching but a single hair on their heads would pay dearly—with their life.

Not a quarter hour ago I told her I was willing to risk my life to save her. Doesn't that mean anything to her?

Janco POV

At first I was shocked when Valek crouched down beside the sobbing Opal. Valek didn't usually show his emotions, let alone openly comfort someone. But after accompanying him, Yelena and Brielle for so long, it shouldn't have surprised me. It wasn't rare to see Yelena and him close, holding hands.

But when Opal started to squirm and push Valek away, I crouched down next to them and pulled her away from him. She wasn't used to it—no matter what she had just said about siblings.

I had an idea of what scared her. She hadn't hugged Valek before, and before she even met him or found out that he was her brother, she only judged him by his reputation. Like the rest of the Sitian and Ixian population. But I guess that believing him to be the ruthless assassin of Ixia for so long had affected her expectations of him. Sure, he had come to her wedding with Devlen, and helped her train, but it wasn't the same. Not many people were that comfortable with being close to him. Except Yelena. She was maybe the only person in the world that could step into his arms a lay there comfortably. I shook my head, I always overanalyzed these things.

I knew deep down that she knew he wouldn't hurt her. Anyone that's seen Valek around his family would know he would do anything, even sacrifice himself, to protect them. Definitely not something his reputation predicts.

But what I didn't expect was the hurt look that covered his face he hid it with the arms that had just previously been holding his sister. He seemed lost in his thoughts before he realized he had revealed his emotions. Normally, he would hide them behind his steel exterior.

I tried to stop Opal from seeing him, since it would make her feel worse, but like Valek, I was too late in hiding it. She saw and, as predicted, looked guilty.

"I'm sorry Valek… I didn't know… I'm sorry… I just thought that…" She sobbed.

"It's all right, Opal. I understand." The lie was evident in his voice. No one could look that upset one moment then be happy the next—unless they were bi-polar, or pregnant. Two things that I seriously doubted Valek was.

Valek POV

"Sorry." She whispered. "You will stay the night because now it's too late to leave. _No_, 'buts'." Walking into another room, she came back out with a pile of linen in her arms, which she then threw onto the closest chair. "There are a couple of rooms upstairs, or you can all sleep in the lounge room. I'm going to make dinner now."

Janco walked over to me, face red with the effort it took not to laugh. "Come on; let's get these beds set up. I don't think we have much choice. But if we have to make a quick getaway, it makes more sense to all be sleeping in the same room." But I knew we weren't making a quick getaway. I was not going to leave Opal alone when she was in such a state.

We both turned our heads towards the kitchen when we heard a snuffle followed by a sob. "Can you go talk to her Janco? She actually _does_ like you and I don't think that she'll welcome my presence anytime soon."

Just like I knew he would, Janco arose to the occasion and readily agreed. He yanked me to my feet and hauled me half way across the room as he sprinted down the corridor. Sighing, I turned to face the daunting prospect of sheets and pillow cases. Which one in the blazes are you meant to put on first?

Janco POV

Running down the hallway, I slowed at the kitchen door to knock. It would do no one any good to barge in there when Opal was still hurting. She appeared to be stirring something in an overly large pot. Like any warrior, I observed the battlefield I was entering before engaging in the battle. Just because it was a battle of wits and wills instead of blood and metal, didn't make it any less of a battle.

Knocking gently on the door, Opal twitched and stiffened, turning her head ever so slightly so she could see who was at the door. "I was… I was just…" She didn't seem like she could quite grasp the words.

"Making dinner?" I improvised. Chin quivering, she nodded as she went back to stirring. Walking over to a set of shelves, she grabbed a couple of carrots and a knife out of the draw. She began hacking at the carrots so slices fell into the pot.

"I had already started mine, so I moved it into this pot and am adding more." Opal explained. I wondered if she was talking to me or to herself. I had noticed the small silver pot with orange soup on the edges.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I offered. I kept my voice quiet, knowing that it was one of those tones that helped soothe people. My own mother had used it enough times on me when I was younger.

Opal had frozen for a moment before finally looking at me in the eye since I walked into this room. "I'm sure there is either a chicken or leg of ham in one of the cool rooms out the back. Could you please fetch it and put it to roast?"

I shrugged with a smile on my lips. "I can do that." In fact there were many types of meat in the cool room. Because Opal suggested it, I grabbed the leg of ham. She thought it was there and when people were distressed, like Opal at the moment, I knew that sticking to familiarity was always best. I also grabbed some oranges in the kitchen and made a saucy-glaze for the ham.

That was where I was half an hour later, sitting on a stool in the bench and waiting for the ham to cook. I can tell you that the smells are completely heart melting. Opal's rabbit broth was simmering on the stove as she waited for my ham to finish. She sat on the stool next to mine, back ridged and hands tucked in lap.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. I was so surprised I jumped in my chair. I think that there was a ghost of a smile on her lips, but it was gone before I could be sure. "It's just… I'm scared." I opened my mouth to say something, but she cut me off. "It's the fact that during the last war I lost my sister, I was a hostage and nearly killed Yelena because of it. So many people died, even more people _nearly_ died. This time, there is so much more at stake. I don't know what I'll do now. With everyone drifting away to fight in this war, or run from this war, or, or_ whatever_ because of this war, I'm afraid I'll be the last one left." Tears were running down Opal's face again and I wasn't even thinking as I pulled her into my arms. "I just didn't want to be alone tonight."

I held Opal even tighter against me as I let her cry. She had curled into a small ball on my lap. She didn't deserve this. This war was pulling innocent people like her into a war that didn't involve them.

Hadn't she already lost too much, in the last war? I had to banish those thoughts that were getting me angry and focus on being a safety blanket for a young woman, who was once again the small little girl I had seen, blowing beautiful glass prisons all those years ago; scared and pulled into something she wanted more than anything to run from.

Valek POV

We all lay in the darkness that had taken over the lounge room. I stared at the ceiling, listening to Opal's crying. Everything was silent except for the sound of her sniffling. After a while though, I couldn't stand it anymore. No matter what the world thought, I wasn't the kind of person to let a woman cry. Slowly, I got up from the cot I had set up for myself and looked around the dark room. Janco and Ari were both snoring and oblivious. I shook my head and walked down the hallway with a soft tread.

Arriving at the bedroom door, I peered inside. Opal lay, curled up in a fetal position, on her side, clutching the blankets like a safety rod.

I moved to her side and nudged her awake. "Scoot," I told her. She looked up at me, unsure, but moved aside. I slipped under the warm covers beside her. I remained silent, letting her decide the next move. Slowly, unsurely, she moved closer and laid her head on my arm. She had stopped crying, so this was a start. I reached over, turning onto my side, and moved a hand soothingly through her hair. At first, Opal stiffened, but slowly grew accustomed to my touch. She relaxed and let her eyes slip close and fell asleep. After a few minutes, I could hear her rhythmic breathing and, before I knew it, the sound was lulling me to sleep.

**Okay, what did you think? I'm going to do that thing with the questions again (:**

**1. Do you think Valek and Opal are okay?  
2. What do you think of Janco? Believe me there is more to him than meets the eye ;)  
****3. Improvements?**

**Karl**


	28. Chapter 28

**Special thanks to Harlequin :DDDD Amazing job with the 'rescue' and 'reunion' (:**

**I have a game for you, I read this in a story.**

**You give me a word and I have to incorporate it into my next chapter. It can be any word or saying, as long as it's leangth is resonable. You can ask me to make a certain character say something and I have to try to make it happen (: I'll give it a go. I'll underline the word or saying in my chapter and I'll put your penname in brakets beside if you're the one who requested it.**

**CHAPTER 28**

I woke the next morning to Janco's complaining. "Great, he left without us. He just took off in the middle of the night."

Ari tried to reason with him, "I'm sure he had good reason too."

"No, I'm telling you, this war, Yelena missing, Brielle somewhere in Sitia and getting fired is going to drive him crazy."

What the hell were they talking about? I looked around, disoriented. I felt weight on my arm. Looking down, I found Opal sleeping there, buried into my side. So I guess she did trust me—just a little. I smiled to myself.

"Opal!" Janco called. I knew it wouldn't be long before he came in here looking for her.

Opal stirred. "Mmm… I don't want to wake up. Go away," she mumbled. Her eyes started to open. "You smell wrong, Devlen." She muttered, pushing me.

I chuckled. "Of course I smell wrong. It's Valek, not Devlen." I chuckled again. Girls were funny when they were half asleep. Yelena said all kinds of nonsense in the morning. Looks like Opal was the same.

Her eyes flew open. "Valek?" she asked. "How? Oh, I wasn't dreaming." She put a hand to her throat in relief. "But, why… Why did you come here? You didn't like the lounge room?"

I laughed. "Yes, I preferred sleeping in your company then next to the snoring Janco." I snorted. "You were crying, I was worried. Although, I have to admit—I got more sleep here than I have had in the past week next to Janco."

"And you actually do smell wrong." She crossed her arms over her chest. She sniffed, as if trying to rid herself of the smell.

"How so?" I inquired.

"I don't know, you just… I don't know. You smell familiar, but I don't know how. You have a particular smell, but it isn't exactly how it should be. I really don't know." My eyebrows went up. "I can't really describe it. It's like… I can't say, you'll think it's stupid."

"No I won't. Come on, Opal." I was honestly curious. Even if my smell was a weird subject to be talking about.

She sighed. "You smell… like musk… and spice. It's an odd combination." Opal looked down, embarrassed.

"Why would I think that's stupid? And why is it familiar?" I asked. This was getting interesting.

"I don't know. Yelena says she likes it, but I don't know why I find it's different. Even though it is. Um… how can I say this? It's… It smells like… I don't know. Look, why are you even asking me this?" I didn't answer, I wanted to have a complete opinion. "It smells normal. Now are you happy?" she demanded.

"So you're saying that my smell is… odd, because it doesn't go with me. Correct?"

"Yes, you don't smell like an assassin." Her cheeks darkened and she hid behind her hair. I couldn't understand why this was an embarrassing subject to her.

I smiled. "And what does an assassin smell like?" I asked. "I didn't know there was a specific way I was supposed to smell to be one." I was trying to get her to smile. And it worked. She laughed.

"I don't know. Dangerous?"

"Someone can smell dangerous?" She was confusing me.

"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one who's supposedly dangerous."

"Supposedly?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, supposedly. It's not like you act on it around me." Her chin rose confidently.

"Really? What if I decided to go insane right now, and killed you?" I stood, towering over her.

"I… I don't think you would do… that…" her voice quivered.

Janco banged on the door, making Opal jump. I laughed. "Opal, get out of bed, Valek left." I nodded, asked her to play along.

"He did?" she asked with a smile playing on the corner of her lips. I moved to the bed and spread myself out on the mattress, feigning sleep. I put a finger to my lips a motioned to the door.

"Yeah, can I come in?" Janco asked. His voice was muffled by the thickness of the wooden door.

"Just a minute," she called. She climbed under the covers and picked up a book from her night stand. "Just lay still and pretend you're asleep. I want to see his face when he comes in."

"What are you going to tell him?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Um… I wasn't feeling well, so I came to get you, and you fell asleep after staying up all night. Good enough?" I nodded. She motioned for me to go to sleep.

"Come in." I closed my eyes obediently when the door opened.

Janco's footsteps were quiet when he came in. I heard him start to question Opal when he saw me 'asleep' on the bed. But she shushed him, "Hush, he's exhausted. Let him sleep."

"What? What is he doing here? Ari, I found Valek." Janco was respecting the restrictions placed by Opal. His voice was quieter than before.

I heard Ari's distinct footsteps join everyone in the room. "What is he doing here?" he asked in a whisper.

"I wasn't feeling well, so I went to see you, and Valek was awake, so he came here. But be quiet, he was up all night because of me. Let him sleep." Opal was good at this.

Since I was turned away from the Power Twins, I risked a small smile. No one saw me. But I rather enjoyed sleeping in. I should get Yelena to… Right, Yelena. Slowly, I turned and stretched. All eyes were on me. Yawning, I opened my eyes.

"What the hell was that?" Janco demanded as soon as my eyes opened all the way. He didn't even give me the time to blink before he was in my face.

Without thinking, my hand came up and crashed into his jaw. We all flinched when there was a crunching sound—definitely dislocated. "Ow!" he exclaimed. "What was that for?" he hissed. There was a crack when he moved it back into place. He moved it a couple of times to get it back to work. Then his fist moved towards me. I caught it. And flipped him onto his back, over the bed. With his arm twisted, there was nothing he could do.

"What the hell is your problem?" he demanded when I let him go.

"You are. You're my problem. We're leaving, now. And we're not coming back until she's in my arms, safe." I commanded.

We hid in the forest bordering the Daviian plains. I could see the camp from here. Opal said that this was probably the place, since it was a void. So it was a void protected by a null shield. Tough break. No wonder they didn't find her, if they didn't bother looking for her the old fashion way.

"What now?" Ari asked.

"Opal and I go in. You try to keep our backs safe. As soon as Opal and Yelena are out, you leave," I commanded. I wasn't going to let them get caught because they were waiting for me.

"What about you?" Ari asked uncertainly.

"Forget about me. They're safe, you get the hell out of here."

"But we can't just"—he protested.

I cut him off. "—Yes, you can. And you will. That's an order." I wasn't risking their lives because I was stuck. Which I was probably going to be.

"Where do we take her?"

"Up north. As far north as you possibly can. Take her to the MD-1 safe house. They wouldn't dare follow you that far. Hopefully, I'll meet you there a couple of days later." I turned to Opal. Her face was pale as a sheet. "Ready, Opal?" She shook her head. I put my hands on her shoulders. "You're going to be fine."

"But you won't," she whispered shakily.

"I'll be all right."

"No you won't. If you were sure of that, you would have us wait. But you aren't. You know there's a distinct possibility you aren't getting out of that camp alive." I tried to protest, but she stopped me. "You know. Don't lie to me."

I sighed. "Yes, I do." I hung my head. She saw through me. Janco was right; this war _was _driving me insane. "Let's just go. We'll be all right. Just remember what I told you," I said, not looking directly at them.

Opal sighed. "I guess we have no choice. Let's go." She pulled me to my feet and motioned for me to lead the way.

I lay on the ground near the border of the camp. Not close enough to be seen, but enough so that I could feel the null shield. I didn't want to go touch it. I remembered last time. Null shields were the only magical weapon that could be used against immunity to magic. I had no choice though. If I wanted my Yelena back, I was going to have to go through it.

We wove through the tents, staying on the edges. Both of us felt it when we travelled under the shield. It was a shock and we immediately dropped low, intent on not being seen. I glanced at Opal and motioned for her to circle from the right and that I would do so from the opposite side.

As I ramped, I thought and watched. There was screaming and pain all over the camp. Blood of different victims littered the ground. There were piles of dead, drained bodies. I shuddered. This was sick. I couldn't believe some people would be willing and enthusiastic about this practice. I looked around for where Yelena might be.

I heard a twig snap behind me and I quickly spun around. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough, and something hard came into contact with my head and my world tumbled into darkness. I hoped Opal didn't meet the same fate and was able to get help.

Opening my eyes to darkness, it took me a moment to realize where I was. Looking around, I recognized that Opal was lying next to me. Great. We were both here, and our back up was clueless as to our current predicament.

Once my head cleared enough I rolled onto my stomach and attempted to stand, only to hit my head on what felt like a metal bar. I groaned, but felt around my surroundings. Confused, I reached my hands out and it didn't take me long to realize we had been caged—like god damn animals. With resignation, I reached out again, feeling each of the bars, attempting to work out the size of this cage that we're trapped in.

Dragging my hands down the bars in front of me, I fumbled around for locks. I sighed in annoyance when I couldn't find any, before quickly stumbling to the next side. This time I managed to locate them, there were six in total. Each of them was rough with what I assumed was rust. Damn. That made it near impossible to pick. And I didn't have any lock picks. So I couldn't even try. I was tempted to give up and just lie down and wait for them to kill me.

But I couldn't give up. Yelena needed me and I wouldn't find her if I was going to waste my time in a god damn cage. I quickly shoved my hands into my pockets, searching for something to pick the locks with. I bit back a groan of frustration when I couldn't find anything.

I wondered if Opal had anything hidden in her cloak, but the darkness made it impossible to see her. I nudged her with a hand, trying to shake her awake, but she didn't even stir. I knew it wasn't a good idea to force her back into consciousness. She could suffer from severe damage.

Crouching back down on my knees, I waved my hands in front of me, as I searched the cage. But my brow furrowed in confusion when my hand brushed against something cold and soft. Quickly, I realized that we weren't alone in this cage. Shaking my head, I moved in the general direction of the person.

I reached my hand out again to the unknown person, but before I could say anything they cowered away from me. Obviously they would be scared—they clearly assumed I was there to hurt them. Not surprising considering the monsters that held them hostage. I wondered how long they had been here. They obviously needed help. A sudden thought dawned on me—perhaps there were others here. More people like Yelena. The thought brought the urge to throw up.

By now, my eyes had accustomed slightly to the poor light, and when I looked down again, I saw in horror that it was a woman. Curled up, naked, and shivering in the cold air. Instinctively I started to unbutton my shirt. She clearly needed it more than I did. Draping it around her, she sighed before holding it tightly around her. I just assumed it was due to the cold.

"Valek…" I heard a sigh. My heart stopped. The voice of my love that I had feared was dead and I'd never see again echoed through my head.

"Y-Yelena?" I whispered in horror. No, that wasn't her. That couldn't be her. But deep inside me, I knew that it was.

A sob escaped her lips in answer to my question, and I slowly reached a hand out to stroke her cheek. My need to touch her—to confirm that she was really here and not another of my dreams—controlled my body before I could think about what I was doing. I held out my hand, as you would to an animal you were beckoning to come closer, and waited. I felt guilty, treating her this way, but when I saw her reaction, I realized how much she truly needed it. She moved tentatively towards me, testing. She wanted to see who was in control here—if I would touch her without her consent. I waited patiently. Slowly, she came close enough for me to touch and paused. I moved closer and reached out to stroke her face.

But as my hand came into contact with her cheek, I only had a second to realize it had been mutilated before she yelped in pain and jerked away from me again. She jumped away and crouched low, hissing at me like an animal, warning me to stay away.

My throat burned as the bile threatened to escape. I hadn't expected her to be unharmed, I wasn't naive. But the harsh reality of seeing Yelena hurt and scared, made me feel sick as well as angry.

I reached out again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Come here. I won't do it again. I'm sorry," I apologized. I coaxed her back to me softly. I continued to speak to her in soft words until she was within my reach.

Another heart breaking sob escaped her lips before I gently pulled her into my arms. She struggled at first, pushing against my chest and flailing madly, trying to escape my grip. Her attempts were so feeble, that I couldn't believe she was actually trying. Seeing as I wasn't bringing her any harm and that I wasn't releasing her, she sunk into my body slowly. Unable to resist, I buried my face into her hair, inhaling her scent. The lavender fragrance she usually carried with her was gone. In its place, a vile stench pervaded. I backed away from the smell, but—to my surprise—she didn't allow me. Her hands gripped my undershirt tightly, trying to keep me with her. I gladly obeyed.

Her body still trembled against mine as sobs continued to consume her body. I wrapped my arms tighter around her. "Shh... It's ok. I've got you. You're safe now, my love. I'm not going to let them hurt you again. I'm so sorry. I tried to get here sooner. I truly did. Please forgive me. Please," I begged. I lifted her from the ground and carried her to the far end of the small space we were enclosed in and sat down there, cradling her.

It took half an hour just to calm her down. I kept a strong, calm exterior, but on the inside I was secretly breaking down. Now that I held her in my arms, I realized even more how I didn't want to lose her. Which I knew there was a great possibility of.

I wasn't stupid. I knew what would happen to us. I also had no guarantee that I could get us out of this mess. And as much as it terrified me to admit this, this was probably the last time I'd ever see her. In this world at least. If ever. If I was not able to get her out of the camp, her soul would be used for the ritual and trapped for eternity. 'No,' I vowed. I wouldn't allow it. I would get her out of this insane place safely.

Her hands released their death grip on my undershirt, and tangled themselves in my hair instead. Nuzzling her face into my neck, she sighed. I held her tightly, grateful for this moment that had been granted to me. I knew it was a one-time thing. For now, Yelena was just overjoyed having a pair of arms that wouldn't hurt her to climb into. When she got out of here, I knew it would take much more than just a couple hugs and kisses to fix the damage that had been brought onto this poor soul. She would need love, patience, time. I was willing to give it all to her—providing that I got out. There wasn't much chance of that.

The door of the wretched cage squeaked open and I saw the silhouette of a man stride in. Yelena stiffened in my arms and buried her face in my chest.

The man spoke, "Well, well, well… What do we have here?" He diverted his gaze to Opal. "And another girl." He let out a joyous laugh. "Take her to the house, boys." He called. Two men came in and grabbed Opal by her limbs. She didn't react—still knocked out.

I knew I should help her, but I couldn't leave Yelena. "Oh, and the Ghost Warrior. I bet you're glad to see him, sweetheart," he sneered to Yelena. "Well enjoy, he won't be around for long. In fact, neither of you will." He left the cage laughing. I had a sudden urge to rip him to shreds and burn the pieces while dancing around the fire.

**The questions are coming...  
1. Answer Valek's question: Someone can smell dangerous? And How so?  
2. Do you feel like dancing aroud the fire with Valek, 'cause I sure do?  
3. Will Valek get out unharmed?  
4. How can I improve my writing?  
5. Word or saying for the challenge mentioned in the beginning note. (Please :)**

**Karl**


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29**

I remained silent, appearing unfazed by Yelena's tears. She cried, the saltwater staining my undershirt. I didn't have the heart to tell her to let me go when they came back. She clung to me desperately, and, although I knew that it would mean a harsher sentence for me, I didn't attempt to make her let go. The Blood Magicians pried her off me by force, holding her back while she screamed and flailed her limbs, trying to pull me back to her.

I was forced into a dark wagon. Our voyage lasted several days, but I was never released, not even to be fed. In fact, I got no food. I prayed that Ari and Janco would be smart enough to save Yelena and not attempt to follow the wagon.

I was tied to one of the posts in the middle of the square. My wrists were secured above my head from where I stood. The binds dug painfully into my skin. I heard the sharp sound of a swinging whip behind me. My muscles clenched.

People—hostages—were brought out here and forced to stand in the space around my post. We were in a village, not yet destroyed, but already filled with so much fear; you could taste it in the air. So this is how they managed to keep everyone in order—by forcing them to watch those who had disobeyed suffer—knowing that it could be them next.

The Blood Magician spoke. "This man, Valek Ixia," I heard the audience draw breath at my name. "Has been caught on our land, trespassing. We do not treat those who do not follow the rules we impose lightly. They are punished severely, as he shall be, publicly, in warning to others." The Blood Magicians had a much larger hold then I thought. They must have taken over the government.

My shirt was ripped away. Shit. This was just like under the King's power. Public whippings to keep the people in constant fear—forcing them to obey his rules. I heard the whip slap again. I braced myself, but no time of preparation could have made me even remotely ready for this.

Pain exploded in my shoulder. I panted for air. I turned slightly to glance at the people watching for their reaction, but received a slash across my cheek. I couldn't hold in the howl of pain this time. And then another. And another. And another... Each blow was a harsh reminder of how I failed to save Yelena. I fell to my knees somewhere in the twenties. My arms stretched far above me. My cheeks were wet. My reputation was as good as gone, but I couldn't bring myself to care in this moment. The pain was surreal. I prayed for oblivion to take me.

And it did, eventually.

I awoke to a sharp stinging. I tried to see better, but found that only one of my eyes could open entirely. The other had swelled shut with the lash that I had received. My back was on fire and my wrists were throbbing. I looked up with difficulty to see that the rope that had been used to tie them was cutting into my skin. My hands were darker, from the lack of blood flow. I sighed and leaned forward to rest my forehead against the stockade. My arms ached painfully at supporting my whole weight, and did nothing to help the damage on my back.

A small number of tears managed to escape before I stopped them. The right side of my face was throbbing. I yearned to put something cold to it, to subdue the heat of it and numb the pain—even just a little bit. It was definitely going towards infection. I wondered how long I'd been here. I supposed it was all afternoon and night of yesterday, and some part of the morning today, judging by the sun. I hoped that Ari and Janco had done a better job than me at rescuing Yelena.

Voices attracted my attention, but I didn't turn around. My emotions were too clear and I knew they would be revealed if I turned to face them. "Don't go near him, Cybele. He's a killer," a man commanded.

"Oh, shut up. He's hurt. Why doesn't anyone seem to notice that? He's been hanging there unconscious for two days, now, and no one has even lifted a finger to help him." Two days. I had wasted precious time. The man begun to protest, but Cybele cut him off, "I don't care who he is. He is a human being and I'm going to help him."

I heard footsteps approach me. I could feel curious eyes on me, judging to see how I would react. The woman—Cybele—lowered herself to her knees beside me. "Are you all right?" she asked softly. I shrugged. The movement was painful, but my voice would most probably break if I said anything. "I brought you something," she said again.

She placed something on the ground beside me. The sloshing of water could be heard as she took something out of the bowl. Without warning, she pressed a cool piece of cloth to my wounded cheek. I hissed at the sting and jerked away. She pulled it back, but said, "I know it burns, but it keeps infection away." Her voice was filled with motherly concern. I wondered what she looked like. I looked up to get a better look at her and found her to be no older than Dilana—the seamstress at the castle.

She took my movement to be a sign to continue and brought the wet fabric to my face again. This time though, she held me still with her other hand. After a while, the sting disappeared and was replaced by a cool soothing. I relaxed a little. But Cybele was much too close for my comfort.

She suddenly moved the fabric to my back. I yelped. I didn't know how much damage had been caused exactly, but I could imagine that my back resembled a bloody slab of meat. She didn't respond to my growls and just pressed the cloth to my skin—or what was left of it—until she decided that the medicine had purged what it could.

Then she took a knife from her belt. My good eye closed to a slit at the sight of it. It wasn't a particularly good knife, but who knew what she could do to me while I was still tied up here helpless. Cybele noticed and crouched next to me.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she whispered so quietly that even I had trouble understanding. It was clearly a comment that was meant only for me, and not the people watching. "I'm going to cut the rope. But I have a single condition." I looked at her as well as I could. "You're not allowed to run off. You stay here, until you've been properly cared for." I watched her, uncertain. She seemed sincere, but who knew. I'd never been cared for before. I hardly ever got sick and my wounds were always minimal. I'd rather treat them myself than raise the suspicions of the medic and start unnecessary rumours.

Slowly, I nodded. What would it change, anyway? I couldn't exactly just take off in the state I was. I knew it would be better for me to get recover so I could make better time after I healed. Cybele smiled and moved to my hands.

My reaction was unexpected by everyone. Even myself. The rope was the only thing that kept me hanging. When it released me, I slumped to the ground. Cybele ran over. "Sir, are you okay? Sir, can you hear me?"

"Valek," I answered. "Just, Valek." I sat up, aiding myself with shaking arms. Cybele nodded. My recently cleaned wounds were now filled with dust and sand from the street.

Cybele looked around towards the others and called, "Someone, help him stand." Two men helped me to my feet and I leaned on their shoulders, accepting with great difficulty the fact that I wouldn't be going anywhere without their help. "Take him to my clinic. I'll take care of him there." I was dragged off, but I didn't know where, because I passed out in route.

I lay on my stomach on something soft. That I was grateful for—my mangled back wasn't touching anything. But something was touching it. Instinctively, I reached out to push it away, but it only resulted in a pained yelp on my part. Giving up on that, I opened my eyes slowly. Cybele was standing over me, cleaning out the whip lashes once again. Judging by the blood on the cloth she used, I guessed there was quite a lot of them. I groaned. Cybele turned to me.

"You're awake," she said. "That's good. You should eat something. You probably haven't eaten in a while." I realized I was ravenous. My stomach was having painful contractions and I knew that she was right. I just nodded. "I'll get you something." After the_ defenestration_ of the supplies she had used to clean my wounds—which were far away from the state they needed to be in to be used again—she left the room.

She returned with several slices of bread, all of them coated with something different. I watched them in wonder. Never in my life had I been so grateful for a piece of dough. It didn't take me that long to find out that I could barely move on my own. It was agony. Cybele gave me sympathetic smile and laid the plate on the table. She picked one up and brought it to my lips. I didn't react. However damaged my reputation was, I refused to get hand fed by a medic like a child. I surely was not _that _invalid.

"Come on, Valek. I know you're the tough assassin, but you have to eat. If you keep trying to play tough, you're going to die. You need food to have the energy to heal." She moved the sandwich across my mouth in temptation. Eventually, I gave up and let her feed me. The smell was too tempting and she was right. I did need my strength if I was going to get better and see Yelena—I sincerely hoped that Ari and Janco had rescued her already.

I felt much better after I ate. Some of my strength was returning, but I doubted that I would get better by tomorrow. Cybele ran a hand through my hair before leaving the room. "Get some sleep."

It took me a total of three days to sit up and then another week to walk around. As soon as that was possible, I became 'difficult', as Cybele put it. She couldn't get me to lie down under any circumstances. The only time I actually lay down, was when I went to bed. All in all, it took three weeks for the whip lashes to start scabbing and I could wear a shirt again. Before, my torso had simply been wrapped in medication soaked bandages.

I decided I was leaving tonight. I had already wasted too much time here. I had to go north, to meet up with the others, like I had promised. I had a good feeling that Yelena was already there, with all the disruption Opal and I had caused.

I opened my eyes and silently slid off the bed. I had been wrapped in bandages again. I pulled a tunic over them and gathered extra gauze for the trip. Then I looked through the drawers of the room that had been my own during the past month for more clothing. I could hear footsteps coming down the hallway, but I didn't make an effort to hide or get back into bed. Cybele walked in with a lantern.

"And, just what do you think you are doing?" she asked me.

"Leaving, I have to go. I've wasted too much time." I answered honestly.

Cybele sighed. "Why? Why do you have to be so stubborn? Why do you have to leave, anyway?"

"I have to go up north." I continued walking around the room and packing my bags.

"Why is that?"

"To help Yelena," I replied without thinking. I clasped the bag shut and slung it over my shoulder.

"The Soulfinder? She is alive?" The woman gasped. I didn't answer; I just pushed past Cybele and out of the room. She followed me to the door.

When I got there, I pushed it open, but remembered something. Curious glances were being cast in the houses direction and now that I was stalking out, there were an even bigger number of them.

I turned to Cybele and said, "Thank you. For helping me, when no one else would. You have my word that I will repay you someday." I touched her shoulder gently. Then I turned abruptly and went out into the night, without looking over my shoulder.

I paused and turned back suddenly. "Don't do anything stupid. You'll be fine—the entire village. Just lay low for a while, I'll send someone to help out here." I was thinking about my men, who were still loyal to me.

"Don't go back to that camp," she ordered. "They'll kill you." There was a certain intensity to her voice.

"I won't."

"Promise," she said. I looked at her, turning, studying her closely.

"I promise."


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30**

I lied to Cybele. I went back to the camp. Not the exact same one, but still. I lay on my stomach in the grass, watching. Just watching. I needed to make sure my plan was foolproof – and observing the camp was the only way to be sure. But even then, anything could go wrong.

The others had been intercepted near the border and I couldn't just leave them there. There was a sharp cry and I quickly turned my head a little to see them leading a man into the camp. He wasn't tall, but his build was rather stocky and his jaw had a square shape. I stopped my thoughts. It was Leif. He was an idiot, coming all the way out here to save Yelena. But I was a hypocrite, because I was here too. I shook my head. Should I save him? Probably. Yelena would beg me to. I didn't want to though. Sighing, I thought, 'One more person to save.'

I sneaked in at dark. It was a full moon and the Blood Magicians were busy with a ritual. I wanted to help the poor souls that were victims in it, but I had other priorities. And the distraction of the ritual was the perfect opportunity. It provided a different attention center.

I ramped around the camp, to the opening I had found earlier in the day. It led to the tent where Leif was held captive. I didn't think the others were with him, but he might have an idea of where the enemy kept them.

I waited for the main ritual fire to start, and calculated exactly sixteen minutes. The time until the guards changed. There was an opening of barely forty-three seconds, but I could make it to the tent-cage—as I suspected it was—if I ran at a fast pace.

When the time came, I jumped up, ignoring the pain in my shoulders from the not-yet healed lashes, and sprinted for the bunching material on the corner of the tent. I heard the guard return and take a guarding stance, his back to me.

Slowly, I inched along the bars, pressed against them as much as they would allow. All the while my hands searched for a lock in the darkness. I heard a faint shuffling inside the cage and a voice whispered to me, "It's a foot to your right. Near the corner." I moved in the right direction and felt along the metal bars. Sure enough, there was a rough lock there.

I turned and hid in the corner's thick weaves of material. Even though it was dark, I couldn't risk the guard—or anyone else—seeing me and raising alarm. My hands reached into the inner hem of my shirt and I ripped out a set of lock picks. I fumbled with the rusty lock in the dark, but eventually it popped open. My palms were sweaty and I pulled the door open as little as possible, but just enough for a person to squeeze through.

"Leif and whoever else is in there, out. We're breaking out of this place," I hissed into the darkness. Someone came closer. Wonderful, it was Janco.

"Oh God, Valek." His face blanched. He clearly knew he was in trouble. "Where were you? We thought you were dead."

"I was," I replied sarcastically. "I got tired of it and decided to come back to life. Now get out. We're busting out and taking Yelena with us."

Janco moved through the bars with agility, but I was forced to widen the opening of the door for Ari's wide frame. I closed it in Leif's face. He stared at me.

"Iget Yelena," I said. I wasn't a proposition. He had no choice, if he didn't want to stay here.

"You think you can tell me what to do with my sister?" he demanded. His whisper was loud enough to show his annoyance, but too quiet for the guard to hear.

"You have no choice. Either you give me what I want, or I'm leaving you here."

"You would leave me here to die?" he asked, incredulous.

What a stupid question. "In case you have forgotten, I'm an assassin. I kill people on a daily basis. It's my job. One more death won't make a dent in my record. And I won't even take the blame. Because, technically, 'I was never here.' And even if I was, 'It was beyond my capabilities to save you.'" I smirked. He was stuck between a rock and a hard space. No way out.

"Fine," he growled. I waited. I wanted him to say the words. He sighed. "If we get out of here, you get my sister." I nodded and opened the door, satisfied.

We had gotten across the camp without any problems, sticking to the obscure edges and moving at a slow pace. This was apparently where they were keeping Yelena and Opal. That was what Ari said, at least. I lay flat on the ground, counting the seconds. It was guard change. I had already figured out that the guards changed exactly every sixty-eight minutes, from watching the past two changes. Now to determine the time it took for the next set to arrive on ground. Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four. The other guards came within view. Thirty-four seconds. The distance was smaller, but the sprint would have to be rapid.

"You done?" Leif asked.

I pulled back from around the corner I was surveying. "Yes. We have an hour and eight minutes until the next change and then thirty-four seconds to run over and hide in the plait covering the cage."

"So we've been here to over two hours for you to determine that?" Yelena's brother demanded angrily.

"Precisely. All of this has to be timed. If we don't do this right, we are all going to wind up in jail again," I told him. He stared at me. "You know, all my operations are this slow. Usually slower. It's the reason I practically never miss. I get to know the target, until there is no doubt about my hit."

Leif was speechless. "So, you stalk people?" he choked out.

"I wouldn't call it stalking… More like, targeting." I gave him a sadistic smile.

Leif was silent for a long time, but he finally said, "You scare me."

"He scares everyone," Janco cut in.

"Not everyone," Ari corrected. "Yelena and Brielle aren't afraid of him."

I turned away from their rambling. The guards had almost finished their shift. I motioned for the others to follow me and stalked on the grass towards my watching point and readied myself for a run. The minutes tolled by at a frustratingly slow pace. But the time eventually arrived. As soon as the guards disappeared into the next tent, we took off in a sprint.

I hid beneath the bundles of material in the corner of the tent and tried to catch my breath. Leif, Ari and Janco were all panting around me, recovering from the run. I put a hand on my chest and bent over breathing rapidly. I could hear the guards returning, so I forced myself to stand straighter and breath slower. When they were in position, I started moving along the side of the cage, nudging the others to follow. "Find the lock."

We moved along the side, searching for the door. Ari was the one to spot it out first. He called us over quietly and Janco broke the lock open. Slowly, we climbed into the small space, one after the other.

We were met with complete darkness. But, soon enough, our eyes adjusted and the small amount of light was enough to see outlines. I glanced around for a presence. A dark shape was huddled in the corner. Slowly, as I had done the first time, I moved towards it. Squinting into the darkness, I was surprised to see Opal instead of Yelena.

"Opal," I whispered. She looked up at the sound of my voice.

Then her expression grew furious. "You didn't help me," she accused. "This is your fault. They hurt me."

I looked away, ashamed. "I know. I'm back though."

"For Yelena."

"And for whomever else is here. Now come here. We're going to get you out of here." Opal made no move to come closer. I knew she had been hurt, but could it really be that bad? I suddenly considered myself very lucky to be a man. "Come on, Opal. I won't hurt you." She still didn't move. "Do you want Janco to help you?" I asked in a last resort. She would probably feel more comfortable with him. Opal nodded once. I sighed and let Janco replace me.

Seconds later, she was curled up around him; her body covered the best it could be with his shirt. I looked around, looking for anyone else. The space was much larger than it seemed. In another corner, a small figure was huddled. I was certain it was Yelena. I was sure of it when she lifted her head and whispered in my direction, "Valek… He came back. He's alive." He head cocked to the side in wonder. I sighed in relief. Even though she appeared to be talking to herself, it was good to hear her voice.

"Oh, God." I fell to my knees beside her. She was covered in new lashes. The one on her cheek was swollen and seeping puss. Others were grimed over. "You're alive." I leaned my forehead onto the bars. "What have they done to you?" I whispered to myself. Yelena wasn't moving. She had stopped breathing. I realized I was too close for her comfort. I moved back.

Leif moved closer though. He looked his sister over and his breathing quickened noticeably. His eyes closed painfully. Yelena cowered into the cage wall, revealing more of her battered and bruised body. The Power Twins were now closer. Opal looked at Yelena through the material covering her.

"You can trust them," she said encouragingly. "They won't hurt you. They're worried. Let them help you. They are going to get us out of here." Those small words of trust caused Yelena to relax a little. I quickly unbuttoned my shirt and draped it over her. The familiar scent caused her to calm a considerable amount. I reached out and offered her refuge. Like last time, she didn't accept it right away. But, slowly, she crawled towards me and I pulled her into me.

The door swung open. Everyone stared into the blinding light without a second thought. Someone walked in. The man was tall, with tattoos covering his limbs and torso. "I don't know how you do it, Valek. You just never give up, do you? I take it you haven't learned your lesson?" I flinched at the memory of the whip devouring my flesh. The others glanced at me in concern. I clutched Yelena closer to my body. She whimpered at the extra pressure on her raw skin. "I think you need another one. You _all_ need another one. You want to see the Soulfinder? You will… in hell. Guards, take them away. Except the bitch. Take her to my rooms," he sneered.

I gripped my love close when the guards came in. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her," I said.

The guards just laughed and the man from before told me, "I think you need to learn some respect and that you are not in charge here. Take him away."

We were chained and forced to the ground. There was a thin mattress laid out in front of us. There was a scream and my eyes followed Yelena as she was forced across the room and onto the bare material. My mind went wild with assumptions, but nothing could have prepared me for what was to come.

The same man as before walked in, unceremoniously removed his pants and kneeled over my beloved. Yelena turned to me for a brief moment to whisper, "Don't look." And the monster took her body. A shrill scream echoed through the room.


	31. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER 31**

No.

No.

No.

I tugged on my restraints furiously. The chains clanged and tangled together, cutting off my circulation. Warm blood drip down my wrists from the cuts the chains caused. But I didn't care. Nor did it stop my struggles.

My breathing was rapid. .

My chest was closing in on itself. Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out.

I struggled to keep breathing. Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out…

My eyes shut tightly, trying to block out the horror happening in front of me. I swallowed bile and it burned down my throat. I opened my eyes again. Yelena was staring right at me. I shut them again, this time tighter.

No.

No.

No.

Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out- Breathe-In-Breathe-Out-Breathe-In-Breathe-Out

Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out… Breathe In… Breathe Out…

Breathe In.

Breathe Out.

I opened my eyes again. She was still looking at me, her eyes unblinking. There was no emotion on her face. No reaction to what was happening. It was me they were targeting, not her. There were silent words in her eyes. She was begging. Apologizing. Explaining. Teaching. Forgiving. All in that one look.

Something within me snapped. The chains snapped too. I don't know how, but they did. The monster was hurled against the wall by a great force. I went after him. I pinned him down and started tearing and clawing at him. A spiral of insanity followed. I couldn't control my actions as instinct took over. I descended into blackness.

There was red everywhere. My hands were covered in it. It was warm and sticky. I brought it to my nose and inhaled. The scent was comforting. My hands stopped shaking. I turned to Yelena. Her eyes were wide. Frightened. She was staring at me. I put a hand to her cheek. The warm red liquid coated it. I left my hand there for a moment.

I felt a mild sting in my right arm.

A spiral of red took over my vision.

It faded into darkness at the same rhythm as my breathing.

Breathe In…

Breathe Out…

Breathe In…

Breathe Out…

Breathe In…

Darkness…


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER 32**

Ari POV

I had dragged Valek out of the camp. Janco was helping Opal and Leif was carrying his sister. I pulled the dart I had jabbed Valek with out of his arm and dragged him out of the room. After Valek had lost it, the entire camp went into a cacophony. There were people everywhere, everyone was running and screaming. It was no challenge at all to just walk out.

Right now, I was sitting on the forest floor. Next to me lay Yelena and Opal—who was trying to calm her friend down—and Leif was helping me rid Valek of any weapons he had on his person. Janco had set out for the nearest village to get a wagon, a pair of horses and supplies.

Disarming an unconscious Valek proved to be more of a challenge than I had anticipated. He seemed to have an infinite supply of knives and darts and other weaponry hidden on his person and in his clothing. I tore yet another set of lock picks from the hem of his collar. I threw them onto the growing pile of junk. Leif detached a long knife from Valek's calf. This man had enough weapons to arm a squadron of soldiers. Valek lay in his underpants; we had undressed him in order to remove any weapons in his clothes.

"Ari," Leif suddenly said.

I looked up. "Yeah."

Leif was looking at Valek's underpants. "Do you think he has anything in…" he trailed off. I knew what he meant.

I sighed. As much as I didn't want to say it… "Leif, judging by who he is… Probably."

Leif's face was green. "I can't reach into his… That would surpass any standards, no matter how low." Leif shuddered. He looked at me.

"Oh no, I am not going to look through his underwear. That's just plain wrong." Yelena was still panting and Opal was still attempting to keep her quiet, but I could see Opal's lips pull up at our argument. "Oh, you think this is funny?" I asked her. Opal breathed a chuckle. "Well then, why don't you do it?"

Opal's smile disappeared. "Are you insane? That would be highly improper for a lady."

"Yes, because you're such a lady," Leif said sarcastically.

Opal put her chin up defiantly. "At least I have a solution," she harrumphed. We both looked at her, suddenly interested. "Knock him out again, to make sure he doesn't wake up. And then you cover his…" Her cheeks darkened. "With a towel or something and you pull his undergarments out from underneath the covers. That way, you don't have to see anything, but you still check if he has any tricks left," Opal concluded proudly.

I looked at her and then glanced at Leif. Her plan was brilliant. Leif seemed to agree with me because he said, "It's worth a shot, I guess." He shrugged.

I put Valek's shirt—neither Leif nor I wanted to use our own—over his lower section and held it in place. Leif pulled the shorts by the bottom and tugged them off Valek. I made a face. Never in the world did I think I was ever going to have to undress my boss.

Leif moved the fabric and found half a dozen darts sown into the material. He shuddered. "How did he plan to get to those?" I shuddered as well at the idea of hiding things in my underwear.

"Check his thighs," Opal ordered. "When Valek put me under cover in the jail, he stuck putty with lock picks and a knife to my thighs." A sob escaped Yelena. Opal turned her attention back to her. Ever since we had left, Yelena had gone into a state of shock and I didn't think Valek's breakdown helped her condition much.

I pulled the shirt a little higher and observed Valek's legs. Sure enough, there was a substance on the sides of his upper legs. I pulled it off, riding Valek of, what I hoped, was the last of his weapons.

For the moment, all we had to do was wait for Janco to return. So I jabbed Valek again with a dart and sat back. For now, Leif and I had covered him with his clothing, since we weren't able to dress him back up. I lay down on my back and looked up at the darkening sky. We were going to have to start a fire soon.

_I averted my eyes from the rape happening in front of me. I breathed slowly, trying to calm down. I glanced at Valek, but he was lost. His breath was all over the place, he was ripping at the chains holding him back, and his eyes were transfixed on Yelena's glazed over eyes. She whispered a single sentence to him, "Don't look."_

_Valek shut his eyes. I don't know what happened next, because I closed my eyes myself. When I opened them, it was caused by an odd sound. I didn't know where it was coming from. I turned to look at Valek and realized he was making it. It was a very primal, instinctual noise. It was hard to believe someone so put together could make such a sound._

_It grew in volume and he started rocking on his heels. I moved farther away from him. As much as I didn't want to admit it, he scared me. I had a very bad feeling that Valek was going to snap. As it happens, I was right. Unfortunately. The sound suddenly cut off into silence._

_"I'll kill you," he snarled. Then he jerked free of the restraints, pulling our chains off our wrists at the same time. Valek hurled the man off Yelena and into the nearest wall. The guards at the door ran in panic, suddenly filled with _hyperactive_ energy. He looked around for a moment, as if confused, not knowing where the man had gone, but then raged after him. What followed was one of the most gruesome things I had ever seen in my entire life._

_Valek's hands sank into the man's flesh and tore at it. I froze in place, not daring to even breathe. He ripped the man's arm out if its socket and then moved to his torso. He dug a hole in the man's stomach and started ripping at his organs. The man's eyes rolled to the back of his head. He was gone. Valek suddenly paused. There was a hideous tearing sound and Valek pulled something out. _

_To my intense horror, it was the heart. My stomach lurched. My fingers moved without me thinking about it. The heart dropped to the floor. Valek looked at the blood on his hands. He inhaled the thick aroma of the red liquid. A sigh that suggested calm and contentment escaped his lips. _

_He looked up in his trance and met Yelena's eyes. She shook under his gaze, terrified. He moved a hand towards her face. Even in the condition she was, Yelena knew better than to move when he came closer. I feared for her life. But all Valek did was place his palm to her cheek. Then his eyelids drooped and he stilled._

_Fast as lightning, I reached into my belt and pulled out a dart. Jabbing it into Valek's arm, I moved back, waiting for the juice to take action._

_Valek's breathing slowed as he toppled to the floor._

I gasped awake. Janco kneeled over me, shaking me by the shoulders. "Not a pretty dream to have," he commented.

I nodded mutely, but added, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it." I shook my head, trying to rid me of the dark thoughts.

Janco sighed. "Me neither, Ari. That was honestly the freakiest thing I have ever witnessed." He glanced at Valek. "I say we keep him under until we're somewhere inside and we have him tied down and secure. Does he have any weapons left?"

"None. Leif and I made sure of that."

"How's Yelena?" I could understand the concern that filled his voice. Yelena was like a little sister to me. It was painful to see her so hurt and scared, especially when we couldn't do anything to help, to make it better.

I shrugged sadly. "I don't know. She doesn't talk. She just lies there, rocking and crying. I think she's gone into shock. We should probably get her to a healer. For the mental and physical damage."

Janco's breath heaved. "I suppose we should go. I have a wagon. Two horses. Blankets, pillows. Food and water. We should be good for a week at the very least. We can go to Ognap. That way, we'll be safe from attacks from the back and we should be closer to the Ixian border. Last I heard, the town was still whole and the safe house nearby was standing. Clara should be there, if she is still following her last orders." Clara was the only woman—apart from Maren—to have made it into Valek's spies. She had a complete ruling hand over every single safe house when Valek wasn't around or busy. Janco was right.

"Move out," I said in agreement. "We'll put everyone in the back. Tie Valek down and wrap Yelena in blankets. Opal can sit back there to make sure everything is fine, we'll take the front. Do you want me to scout the way?" I asked. "There could be danger ahead."

Janco thought for a moment. "No, I can't handle two…"He sighed. "You know."

I nodded. "You'll have Leif." Janco's eyebrows rose. "I know, I know, you don't trust magicians… Whatever. I'll keep an eye out for trouble though." I knew that Janco didn't trust magicians, but that wasn't the case with Leif. Janco just didn't like Leif. And that's all there was too it. But since Leif was a mere three feet away, within earshot, I couldn't just spurt out information like that. It could cause all kind of trouble and disagreements. And those were something we had plenty and more than enough of.

As Janco had promised, he had plenty blankets and pillows. And the wagon he had acquired was one built for carrying ill passengers and not cargo. Therefore, there was a roof, benches and a thin layer of straw on the floorboards. I laid two blankets over it and help Janco heave a quilt-wrapped Valek into the wagon. Janco and Leif went to hitch up the horses, while I stayed behind to aid Opal in coaxing Yelena into the vehicle.

I crouched down next to them and whispered in a soft voice to Yelena, "Yelena." I waited for her to look at me. "Hey, can you get into the wagon? We need to go now." Yelena's eyes widened and she backed away, her breathing growing heavy again. I closed my eyes, trying to keep my calm. "Opal will be with you. You'll be fine. We're going to Ognap, to Valek's safe house."

"Valek…" she sniffed.

I smiled at her. At least I had gotten a response. "Yes, Valek. He is in the wagon too. He's sleeping right now, but I'm sure he will wake up on the way there," I assured her. "Can you get into the wagon?" I asked again.

Yelena nodded. And tried to get to her feet, keeping the long shirt she was dressed in around her. She stumbled. I caught her automatically, but her reaction was rather violent. She swiped out at me and fell even farther back. Opal grabbed her shoulders and kept her standing. She leaned in to murmur into her ear. Yelena relaxed and slowly let Opal guide her to the wagon by the hand. She let me help her inside and I supplied them both with warm covers. Then I pulled the curtains in the back of the wagon close. There was small yelp in the back. I moved the covers away.

"She doesn't like the dark," Opal told me.

I called to my partner in the front, "Janco, do we have any lanterns?"

"There should be a couple under the bench."

I lit one so that it let out a dim glow, and hung it onto the inside of the wagon. The curtains closed again and I trudged heavily to the front of the wagon.

"We'll have to stop for clothes," I informed the others. My voice was dull and monotonous. The extent of the damage Yelena showed was extreme. I wasn't doing much to hide it.

"That bad?" Leif saw through my façade. I nodded in response. "She has to get better. She is the only hope we have left now."

I sighed. "Let's go." The horses started walking.

Valek POV

It was dark. But there was a sliver of light invading my peacefulness. I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar sight. I tried to move around, but there were blankets wound tightly around me.

"Valek…" I heard Yelena say. It was a whimper in the darkness.

I turned to her. I wrestled an arm out of my tight cocoon. "Shh…" I reached out to her. My hand rested on her cheek as she lay beside me. "I'm here. You're safe. Finally safe…" I closed my eyes again.

"Safe…" she repeated slowly. As if testing the word. My eyes snapped open.

"Yes, safe. No one will hurt you anymore. I won't let them. I promise," I said.

"Promise…" she said. I took a closer look at her. Yelena's eyes were glazed over. She was staring into the distance, into nothingness.

"Promise," I repeated after her. Then I looked up at Opal, who was witnessing the brief exchange. "What's wrong with her?"

The woman shrugged. "We think it might be shock. She's been that way ever since we got out. The only thing she's said is your name. Other than that, she just repeats snippets that she catches. Like she did just now. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the only thing she understood from what you told her."

"What you told her…" Yelena whispered.

Opal put a hand to her face. "Yes honey. What Valek told you."

"Valek…" Yelena repeated again quietly. "Valek… My Valek… Mine…" Her voice faded until it wasn't there anymore. "Mine… My… Valek…" she said one last time before shutting her eyes.

I stared at her, uncomprehending. How a beautiful, intelligent being could be reduced to such a state was a mystery to me—only monsters were capable of an act so brutal. "I am yours, Yelena," I confirmed. "All yours… Only yours…" I traced her lips with my fingers.


	33. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER 33**

In the early hours of the morning, the lamp had long since burned out and the chilly air was coming in. I had already figured out that I wasn't dressed, this being the reason for the blanket cocoon I was wrapped in. I wondered why. Probably to disarm me. Whoever had done so had been extremely throughout. Yelena had started shivering, a fever aiding the cold air in freezing her. I tucked another blanket around her and checked her forehead. She would need a medic's immediate attention. I sighed and lay back down.

"Valek…" Yelena mumbled again, rolling over.

"I'm still here, love. I won't leave you. Not ever again." I rubbed her arm, trying to warm her through friction.

At that moment, the curtains hiding the back flew open. Janco was standing in the doorway. His hands were folded behind his back. My eyes closed to slits. He was hiding something. His expression was apologetic when he reached forward. There was a sting in my right shoulder and my thoughts grew woozy. I stared at Janco, betrayed. Why would he knock me out?

Opal sat up straight. "What the hell was that?" she shrieked. I hoped it was in my defense. "He was just worried about her. There's nothing wrong with that!" I didn't get to hear my second's response, because I blacked out.

I woke up I don't know how much later. It was dark outside and we weren't moving anymore. I could hear people talking. Yelena still lay beside me, but Opal was gone. I assumed she was with the others—those who had gotten out. Which made me wonder… How _did_ we get out? That part of my time there was completely dark. I had no idea what had happened. But if I focused on it, I could just make out…

_… "Don't look."_

_… I slammed the monster into the wall… I held something in my hand… It was warm… My hands were warm… Breathe in… Breathe out… It was a heart…_

_Breathe In…_

_ Breathe Out…_

_ Breathe In…_

_ Breathe Out… _

_ Darkness…_

I woke up… I think. Everything was fuzzy. There were people around me… I think.

"What's wrong with him?" "What the hell did you stick him with?" "Are you sure you didn't overdose?" "What should we do?" "Do you think we should ask Yelena's healer to help him?" At the sound of her name, I opened my eyes. All sound and movement stopped.

"Yelena…" I murmured.

"… insane by the dozen." Someone said.

"Insane by the dozen…" I repeated.

"… most valuable assets."

"Most valuable assets," I said. "Insane by Most valuable dozen the assets…" I shook my head. That didn't make any sense. My head was spinning. I was tired. I closed my eyes.

"Yelena…" My world faded.

Ari POV

I sighed and rubbed my face roughly, trying to ignore Janco's grumbling. In a way, he was right, they _were_ insane. They were both gone into some other world where we couldn't retrieve them. Valek, at this time, was worse than Yelena. Because Yelena could be helped, to some extent. The horrors she went through caused her mental wall to go down and a healer could reach her thoughts. This enabled her—the healer—to try and coax Yelena out of the hole she had secluded herself into. Valek, on the other hand, was immune. There was nothing to do but wait and see if he was able to find his own way out. To make things worse, he had just came to for the first time today. After a week's time.

There was a knock on the door. Yelena's healer I supposed. She always came at a different time, exactly one hour later than the day before and, when she reached nine in the evening, she would go back four hours and continue coming with an hour's interval, but in the opposite sense—an hour earlier every day. Then, when she reached seven in the morning, she would go forward a certain number of hours, depending on the day of the week and would go an hour down every day from there. It was a precautionary measure. One as to not alert anyone she was visiting the same place every day.

I opened the door and let Fiorella in. She gave me a smile and asked her for any developments that may have taken place during her absence. I filled her in on how Yelena had slept all day and eaten the two meals she was to eat without Fiorella's presence like she was supposed to. But then the healer asked about Valek. I was surprised, because Fiorella was only here for Yelena, but told her that Valek had woken up for the first time today. I told her about the details, what he said, how his symptoms seemed to be similar to Yelena's and, finally, about what had happened back at camp. That was what I believed had caused this. That one moment of insanity had crashed down on him. I expected some sort of reaction, but Fiorella just nodded and started up the steps to Yelena's room.

I turned back to the sitting room, but Fiorella's voice stopped me, "Can you help me?"

"Ahh… How? I don't have magic."

"I'll link you to us. I think she needs someone to talk some sense into her," the healer told me.

I shrugged. "If you think it would help." I followed her up the stairs.

Fiorella sat down on Yelena's bed and I took the seat beside it. She took my little sister's hand and concentrated. After a while, she held out a hand to me. I gave it to her tentatively. Then it was like a shock went through me. I was disconnected from my body and my world was blank for a moment. Then there was a new world. It was colourless. The only color in view was a bush of roses. Each rose was a different color, although they were a part of a single bloom. I looked at it curiously.

Fiorella stood beside me. That was odd, considering the fact that we were in Yelena's mind. "It's so… lifeless," I said.

"I know," the healer said. "It's sad, really. To see a mind decomposed to such a state. I don't know where she is."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Yelena. She is hiding somewhere here. Only I don't know where. She has receded into a faraway part of her mind and I can't help her until I find her. She is most likely some place she feels safe and at home. You know Yelena better than I do; do you know where such a place could be? Or what could represent safety and home to her?"

"Umm… Valek?" I asked. "He's bound to be there if we're talking about safety." Then I thought about it. "But he might not be. After what happened."

"That's brilliant!" Fiorella cried out happily. "You're a genius. You said that Valek was gone too? In the same state as Yelena?" she asked, but didn't wait for a confirmation on my part before continuing. "If he's here, trying to get her to come out, then that explains why he's in the state that he is." She clapped her hands together in joy.

"But what if he isn't here?" I asked dubiously. Valek was immune to magic; there was no way he could be linked to Yelena.

"Then we're going to have to try to get him out from wherever he's hiding. But first things first. Let's get Yelena better first. After she comes back into the world, you're going to have to get her to a strong healer so all the physical damage she suffered can be assessed. And she's going to need a lot of moral support. From a woman if possible."

"Wait, you didn't fix her physically?" I demanded.

"I couldn't. I fixed what I could, but there is only so much that can be done if a mind is not present. I assure you the worst of it – broken bones for example – has been repaired. But I cannot get rid of the scars. She will be marked, I'm sorry." Fiorella hung her head.

I sighed. I knew there was nothing that could be done. "It's all right. How do we find her?" I asked.

"Think of Valek. Of both of them together, in one place. In a place where they both feel safe and comfortable, I you can. I will attempt to find them through that image."

I closed my eyes and thought. First I pictured Yelena, with a smile on her face, and then Valek next to her, holding her hand. Then I thought of… I don't really know. Another shock went through me.

I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar scene. I didn't know this place, but they sure did. It was a small house that had not yet finished being built. But I could hear sobs. Fiorella turned to me. "Good job," she praised. "You appear to have found her."

We walked to the front door, but shadows attacked us as soon as we tried to enter. They wrapped tightly around our limbs, threatening to suffocate us with their thick weaves.

"Get out," came a vicious shriek. Yelena appeared from inside the house. She looked horrible. Her hair was tangled and her skin was pale. There were purple bruises under her eyes. "Get out," she yelled at us again. "I don't want you here. You're not allowed to intrude. This is my home. Mine. And you can't be here. Get out. Now," she screamed us in a high-pitched voice. She continued shouting until her shoulders started to shake and she fell to the ground sobbing. She continued to hit the stone pathway leading to the house with her fists. They soon became bloodied and her sobs grew more pronounced.

The door opened and Valek came out. He crouched down next to her and lifted her off the ground gently, appearing not to notice us. He held her tight and then turned to us. "You can't be here. She's dwindling downwards. If this place collapses while you are still here, you'll go down with her."

"So will you," Fiorella told him matter-of-factly.

"But I have nothing else left," he said flatly.

"Nothing left?" I shouted, suddenly furious. "Nothing left? What about Brielle? What about Ixia? What about all the people counting on you? And you just sit here and do nothing," I accused.

Valek's expression was pained. "But I have to stay. I have to be with her. She can't handle it on her own. She'll crumble to dust without me," he whispered. "I have to help her."

"Then start by getting her out of the confines of her own mind and out into the real world. There you can give her the care she needs," Fiorella told him.

Valek looked up at her. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Fiorella. I am Yelena's healer. The one who has been trying to get her out of here for the past three weeks. Something you have obviously been resisting," she told him. Her words were harsh and Valek winced.

"I have my reasons."

"I can imagine." She pursed her lips. "They aren't good enough anymore. As you said, she is dwindling rapidly. If we can't get her back into the real world, she will collapse and you will lose her. Do you understand?" she asked him in a serious tone of voice.

Valek nodded mutely and added after a handful of silent moments, "How do we do that?"

"You're going to have to trust me." That was predictably going to be the hardest part for Valek, who took his time when it came to trust. Now he was expected to just jump into it without a single doubt.

My boss sighed, but nodded anyway. He came closer when Fiorella motioned for him to do so. But even so, he kept Yelena close to his body. "What now?"

"Come here. And put her down. We're getting her out. But, I warn you, it's going to be painful. For her and for us," Fiorella warned.

"You need help?" Leif's voice suddenly invaded my thoughts.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one, because Fiorella answered, "Yes. Wait close by. When she gets out, I want you to maintain contact with her. Yelena is not to relapse. Understand? If she does, we have lost her."

Silence. A rather painful shock went through my body and my world went blank. Again. When I opened my eyes, somehow I had ended up on the floor. Groaning, I moved to get up, but my limbs wouldn't move. My energy had been sapped away. I closed my eyes, hoping to get some rest, but someone shook me violently. I lifted my eyelids slowly, annoyed at the person. Fiorella knelt over me. "Ari, stay with me. You can't go to sleep. We'll lose you too." Too? Who else had we lost? Dread filled me. I forced my eyes to remain open and let the healer attend me in sitting up.

"Who?" I asked.

Fiorella watched me for a while and then said in a grave voice, "I'm afraid we lost her. She was too far gone to reach, her mind collapsed just as we were leaving." Her pain was evident on her face. "I'm so sorry." She hung her head.

"Sorry doesn't fix what had been done, does it?" Leif demanded. "She's dead. For real this time." He grabbed Fiorella by the neck and dumped her on the floor next to the bed. "Fix her," he ordered. The words came out sounding like a hiss.

Fiorella hung her head; tears ran down her cheeks and neck. "I wish I could," she whispered.

**Be sure to check out Harlequin and my blog (: You can find it at: http : / / karlharlequin . weebly . com**

**On it, you can find sneek peaks, insiders scoop and, most importantly, CHARACTER INTERVIEWS. We have managed to steal some of the characters away for interviews. If you have any questions for any characters in my stories, you can leave them in your review.**

**Karl**


	34. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER 34**

Valek POV

I opened my eyes. They had just told me. I still couldn't believe it. I sat in the chair beside her bad and watched her lifeless body. It pained me to see her. She was pale and cold. There was no more pulse to reassure me of her well-being. I was too late. My worst fears had become reality. I was too late. My body shuddered as I took breath. And the tears started to fall. And I went to lie down beside her. Her body was ice-cold, but I needed to be close to her one last time.

Night time had already fallen when it happened. There was movement on the bed. I turned to Yelena, knowing full well that I was most probably hallucinating from grief and exhaustion. But sure enough, something was moving. Then her eyes fluttered open.

"Oh." She looked around, confused. "Where am I?" Yelena asked. I was hyperventilating. How was this even possible? The others were on the ground floor, giving me some time to say goodbye. I called out for them; my entire being was trembling.

"What? What is it?" Janco heaved as he ran into the room. Then he saw it. He froze in place like I had. Yelena had sat up.

"Valek?" she asked. I didn't dare answer. Or move. Or even breathe. She was back from the dead. How was that even possible? Yelena trembled. "Valek, why does it hurt?" she whispered. Then she fell out of bed and onto the floor. Her eyes seemed transfixed on me, as she lay there, moaning in pain. "Valek, it burns. Make it stop. Why does it burn? Please, Janco, Ari, anyone. Make it stop," she cried. Her eyes started to glow with a red light. I lurched from my chair, knocking it over in the process. "Valek, help me," Yelena screamed. It took all the strength I had not to go to her when she begged me in this way. Something inside me told me that this was a ploy. That this wasn't really Yelena.

Leif flew into the room and started pushing us out right away while saying, "Move. She's possessed. They took her soul. She's gone. There's nothing you can do, she isn't the one in control. Someone else is." But he wasn't fast enough. Yelena's eyes opened and stared right at me. Their once green color had disappeared. They now glistened red. The color of fresh blood. And it wasn't only her iris' either. It was the entire eye. White and pupil included. "Don't meet her gaze, Valek. Whatever you do, don't look straight into her eyes," Leif said. I looked away obediently and let Leif push me out of the room hurriedly. He shut the door and motioned for all of us to go hide. Somewhere with an extra exit if possible – the attic.

For a minute, nothing happened and I was beginning to doubt what I saw and what Leif claimed it to be—a possession. But the most gruesome sound ripped through the air. It was not a human shriek. More like an animal. My breathing quickened. Because, no matter how animalistic the sound was, there was no denying what it said. "Where is the Ghost Warrior?" The shriek shook me to my very core.

Everyone turned to me. Leif said, "It's not her, you know. It's them. They broke her and took control. Completed the job that the others had tried when she was just beginning to develop magical potential. In the orphanage."

"You don't even know what happened in the orphanage. Or after that," I muttered.

There was a loud crash. "That was the door," Leif said.

"She knocked down the door?" Ari demanded, a little too loud.

"Shut up! She'll hear you," Fiorella hissed.

"Valek…" I heard my name. I swallowed hard, panting. For the first time since I was a teenager, I felt fear. Actual fear for my life. "Valek… Come out come out, wherever you are. I promise it'll only hurt a little." The voice that spoke the words was a perverse mockery of my Yelena's voice. I slowly backed against the attic wall and slid downward into a sitting position, with my feet tucked up against my chest.

The others turned to me. Fiorella came closer and put her hands on my shoulders, crouching down to my level. "Calm," she instructed. "Breathe deeply. Everything is going to be fine. Calm, Valek." I took deep breaths as she instructed and my shoulders quieted down their shaking a little.

There was another shriek downstairs. This one was angry. "Valek!" It was an ear-piercing outburst of fury.

"Valek, you have to get out there. Try to calm her down. At least for a while. It should give me an opening to go to town to fetch a stronger magician. Someone who can overpower her."

"Are you insane? She'll murder me. I'll be nothing more than a dead body by the time you get back," I replied. Panic filled my being. I didn't want to die. Especially not at the hands of a possessed Yelena.

"Come out Valek. I'll kill you real quick, I promise," the voice said again. I trembled, sweat beading on my forehead.

"We have to get out of here," Janco whispered. "Before she figures out where we are and kills us all." He was despairing. But he was right. "Help me get the window open." He moved to the side of the room and pried the glass from place, giving us an opening to escape.

I slid out and, helping myself with the outcroppings of the rocks that formed the wall, reached the ground. When it was certain that everyone had gotten out, we ran. But she saw us. And a shriek of rage echoed through the air behind us. The glass in the windows shattered. A shiver travelled up my spine, but I didn't waste time on looking back over my shoulder. I just ran.

When we reached Ognap, Leif immediately pulled us to town hall. The place was sure to be crawling with magicians and soldiers. Also, they were sure to have a messenger.

When we burst in, not exactly in good shape, the guards obviously stopped us. "Who are you?" one of them demanded. "State your name and reason for being here."

"Leif Zaltana. Please, I have to see the main magician around here. There has been a major attack out of town." The guards let him through, but made the rest of us wait.

"Opal Cowan, I'm with Leif." My sister pushed through the guards, meeting only minimal resistance.

One of the guards looked Janco up and down. "Hey, I know you. You're the one who helped Opal get out of here a few years back."

Janco nodded quickly. "Janco Ixia. I have to help them," he said quickly. I was too stunned to say anything. "And this is my partner, Ari Ixia. He works with me." they pushed past the soldiers.

The guards looked at me, expectantly. "And you are?" they asked.

"Does it matter?" I asked quietly. I didn't have time to fake a name and I wasn't in the mood for games.

"Yes. We can't let you pass without your name."

"Valek Ixia. I'm with the rest of them," I said quietly.

They gaped at me, unbelieving. I used their surprise to my advantage and ran down the hallway after my group. This was an emergency. But soon everyone in this building and town – maybe even clan lands – would know that I had been here.

"Well it's ironic if you think about it. In the beginning, we feared that she would be the one to possess people, but she is the one who was victimized by that very power," the magician said. He had accepted to come with us back to the house to attempt to overpower a now very angry Yelena. "We need bait. Because she won't stand still if we don't. Only once she gets what she was sent for, will she pause – if only for a second – giving me the opening."

I gulped and nodded once. And then I started moving towards the house. I walked casually, trying to appear as if nothing was wrong. The plan was for me to keep her in one spot, stall her. Hopefully she wouldn't try to kill me right away.

I walked into the house through the opening that used to be the door, before it had been ripped violently off its hinges. "Yelena," I called into the empty house.

There was a rush of air and she seemed to materialize by my side. "Ghost Warrior…" she hissed under her breath, but then normally to me, "Valek. You came back. Why did you leave?" She took my hand and started pulling me away and up the stairs. The entire house was a wreck; I hoped I wouldn't turn into a part of it before they managed to bring her down.

"Where are we going?" I asked to stall and give me some time. I pulled her to a stop, pretending to look around, confused. "And what happened in here?"

"Nothing love… Nothing you need to worry about," she said in voice that I think was supposed to sound reassuring. It didn't though. It just sounded scary. I let her pull me along. Her eyes were still read, but the color had receded until it was only her irises. Less freaky, but unnatural all the same.

We came to a stop in front of the bedroom door, where she paused to move what was left of it out of the way. Then she tugged me inside and pushed me down into a chair. I gulped. What was she going to do to me? "What are you doing Yelena?" I asked. I tried to hide the shaking in my voice with no avail.

She noticed and turned to me. She sauntered towards me and leaned in close. Trailing her fingers on my cheeks – I felt her dangerously long nails against my skin – she whispered, "Is my Valek scared? Hmm…" She moved closer, leaning on me, inhaling. I stopped breathing. "Don't worry love. I'll take _good_ care of you. You're mine." I could feel the smile on her lips when she pressed them to mine.

There was a click and I stiffened. I made to move, but my hands were manacled behind me. I looked up at Yelena, unprepared for this turn of events. She smiled once more and turned her back to me. "Don't worry love," she said. "It'll all be over very soon." I swallowed hard. I hoped they found a way to overpower her soon. I was dead meat at this point.

Then she turned back with a knife. My knife. I was going to perish at the end of my own blade. "What are you doing with that Yelena?" I asked.

"Shh… Don't talk. It will only hurt a little, but it will be worse if you move." She put the edge of the blade to my throat. I swallowed, feeling her increase the pressure of it on my skin. My breathing was heavier. I closed my eyes, waiting for her to finish me off. There was a slicing sound and then silence. Then the screaming started.

And the knife clattered to the ground. There was a shallow cut in my throat, but nothing major. Yelena was on the floor, curled into a ball, screaming. Her eyes opened. To my surprise and relief, they were back to their green color. She looked up at me with frightened eyes. And then ran to a corner of the room and curled into a ball. Her small body shook with sobs.

"Valek," she whispered, looking up. "Did… did I do that?" she asked, looking me up and down. I was hand-cuffed to a chair and my throat was bleeding. Not a very good image. But I nodded. As hard as it was to admit, I was scared. I was afraid the other one would come back. Slowly, she came up to me. But then her hands began to work quickly. She removed the manacles and pulled a piece of cloth to the cut. Putting some pressure on it, she motioned for me to hold it in place.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to. I swear I didn't… I couldn't stay in control, I didn't have a choice," she apologized again and again. Then she froze. Her eyes went wide and her body shuddered. "Valek, get out of here. It's starting to burn again." She shrieked at a high-pitch, falling to the floor and throwing her head back in the convulsions.

I jumped to my feet and sprinted out. But I wasn't fast enough. She caught me. Well, _it_ did. And pushed me against the wall. "Shh…" she soothed. "I'll make it quick." And her knife was in my chest. The last thing I felt were the strands of magic that wrapped around me.

_Too late. _My time was up. I closed my eyes.

** 'Brilliantly Scary.. or..Scarily Brilliant?' (quoted from Just-Acting-Naturally)**


	35. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER 35**

The view was blurry. I was lying back. I think I was on a table. That didn't make any sense. If I was dead, wasn't I supposed to be someplace comfortable? I closed my eyes again, willing the uncomfortable table to go away. But it didn't. I forced my eyes to open. If it didn't want to go away, I'd make it. The room I was in was bare and there were no other occupants than myself. I got off the table and pushed it up against the wall. Then I proceeded to lie down on the floor in the same spot I had been before.

I didn't know where I was and something told me I didn't want to find out. So I just lay there. For a long time. I don't know how long. There were no windows so I couldn't see the sun or stars, and the room was illuminated by a light that was nowhere to be seen. It infuriated me. The fact that I was so ignorant to my situation.

And old fear was threatening to surface and I fought hard to keep it under lock and key. In the end, I lost though. The fear of death, punishment for my actions and the Fire World came back and I was forced to sit down. The room changed until it resembled a prison, a cage in the Fire World. I sat on the floor struggling to breathe as the metal rods of the cage closed in and threatened to suffocate me. The lives I had taken flashed before my eyes, my knife scaring not only my victims but me. I tried to override the images with other ones, but they crumbled before I could even put them into place.

My world slowly faded.

My hands hit the bottom of a water basin and I pushed my head out of the freezing water, heart pounding and breathing heavy. My hair was wet and sticking to my face. Someone was trying to push me back into the water, but I resisted. They let go. I stared at the water. It was tinted red. I held myself up and tried to catch my breath. I couldn't. The images from before took over and choked me. I sat back onto the floor and curled into a sitting position. Putting my head between my knees, I tried to stop the spinning.

When it passed I looked up at my surroundings. I didn't recognize the decor and the people around me were all dressed in white. The place smelled of anaesthetic. Like an infirmary. I wondered if that's where I was. That would be understandable, considering the fact I had almost died. Slowly, I moved to stand up, but something stopped me. I turned my head to see a hand on my shoulder.

"Stay put for a minute, will you?" said a gentle voice. "I'm just going to check your vitals." Yes, I was in an infirmary. But where?

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You're in Ognap, dear. You had an accident."

"Accident, my ass. You mean a possessed Soulfinder attacked me." I snorted.

"You… You remember," the woman said. She sounded confused. Her hands were trailing my chest, probably checking my heart and lungs, but I found it uncomfortable. I pushed her hands away. "I apologize," she said in response. "Your main vitals appear to be in order. You need some caring for, however."

"Is she all right?" I asked.

"Who, dear?" the nurse asked.

"Yelena? Where is she? Is she all right? Can I see her?" I asked. I needed to know.

The nurse hesitated. "Ahh… She's… She's asleep. In a trance, heavily medicated. It's not a very good idea for you to see her right now."

"But I have to. I have to make sure she's okay," I pleaded.

The nurse sighed heavily. "Fine," she finally sighed. "How about you clean up and relax a little. You've been in a coma for a while."

"A what?" I asked.

"A state of induced sleep. In this case, it was willed—so that we could heal you—but it can also be caused by something traumatic or scarring," the nurse explained. Something about her statement was off. Heal me? How could they heal me? I was immune to magi…

_The chains snapped and I threw myself at the monster… The chains snapped…_ I came back to the present. Magic. That's how they snapped. But how? Who? The answer was staring me right in the face. Me. I had snapped the chains. I had magic. But more importantly, I didn't have immunity. "But I… That's impossible," I finally said.

The nurse helped me stand, as I soon discovered I couldn't on my own. "What, dear?" she asked.

"Stop calling me that," I told her. "My name is Valek," I informed. The nurse dropped my arm. I toppled to the floor. Landing on all fours, I tried to remain sitting as I looked up at her. "What the hell was that?" I demanded. "Since when do you just let go of patients and let them fall to the floor?"

"V-Valek," she stuttered.

Ah, crap. "Don't tell you're one of those fainting types," I warned. "And honestly, why would you be even scared? At this point, I'm at your mercy. I can't even stand up on my own," I said. I was irritated. This was a stupid situation. Where were the Power Twins? Did they just dump me here and run off?

The nurse just stared at me. "What?"

I stared at her and then said, "You going to help me up or run off screaming?" The nurse moved back to my side and aided me in standing. "Where are the others?" I demanded. I had already made the decision to take charge and become boss.

"The others?" the nurse asked. Her voice shook at my superfluous display of control.

"Ari and Janco. Leif, Opal," I clarified.

"Oh. They're in the next door inn. Trying to get some rest. They brought both of you here from out of town. They visit every day, so don't worry. They should be here in about an hour. You just sit back; I'll get you something to eat and you can get changed. You can talk to them then." The nurse offered me a small smile. She then opened the door to a room and helped me to the bed. But I stopped her when she tried to leave.

"What name am I under here?" I asked.

"They didn't give me a name. They just said you needed tending to. Fiorella kept you alive for a good ten hours before I could take over. You don't… look like I thought you would," she said.

"I don't look like Valek, the ruthless assassin?" I asked. She shook her head. "People tell me that a lot." I shrugged. "Doesn't really matter. I guess that's who I am to you," I said. "I bet you didn't expect to be tending my health. Me—the supposedly invincible target." I let out a strangled laugh.

The nurse came back to the bed. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"What do you think?" I asked. "No. I'm tired, I feel filthy and I've failed my purpose. I'm not supposed to be here."

"What do you mean?" the nurse asked. She sat down on the side of my bed.

"You ever killed anyone?" I asked. The nurse looked at me for a while, but slowly shook her head. "It's horrible. When their blood stains you, you feel like you're never going to be purged of it. And they come back to haunt your dreams. And then you _know_ you'll never be rid of them. They'll always be there to attack you in a moment of weakness. Your hands will be stained forever." The nurse stared at me. I laughed. It sounded like I was mad. I probably was.

With a panicked look on her face, the nurse called out "Security!" I sighed exaggeratedly.

"Thanks a lot," I huffed sarcastically. I struggled to get up. Damned lethargy. The guards rushed in, swords at the ready. They looked sceptically at the nurse.

"Why are you calling us to arrest a patient who can't so much as move? There's no way that he could have done anything," the first guard commented, lowering his sword.

There was a knock on the door behind them. Ari stood there. "How is everything?" he asked the nurse. "You're awake," he said and moved to my bedside. "Are you feeling all right?" he questioned.

"Well, apart from the fact that I can't stand up or sit up straight without help… Yes, I'm feeling fine," I said. Sarcasm was thick in my statement.

Ari winced. "Will he be able to move around?" he asked the nurse. She nodded and left the room, followed closely by the guards. Ari took the seat that had been vacated by the nurse. He sighed. "This is going to be difficult," he said. "What with you in a coma and Yelena, although awake, in an even worse state."

"Worse?" I exclaimed. "What? I have to go see her." I struggled to get up. Ari watched me, but made no move to help me. Instead, he moved to the back of the bed and started wheeling it out of the room. "What are you doing Ari?" I demanded.

"I'm taking you to Yelena. You aren't supposed to get up, so I'll wheel you over to her room."

Yelena was a sorry sight. Although most of her wounds had been healed, she was still left with ugly scars. At the moment, her eyes were closed and there were several tubes attached to her arms. "What are those?" I asked Ari.

"It's a blood transfusion. They're purging her system of the host that took over before." He offered me a sad smile. "She is in a magically induced trance, so she won't wake up, but she can hear you." Ari moved my bed so it was beside Yelena's. "You can talk to her if you'd like. I'll be back later. I have to check in with the others. Opal and Janco will want to talk to you, now that you're awake." He left.

I managed to sit up and reached over to take Yelena's small hand into my own. It was cold, so I held it tight, warming her in the process. Rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand. "I'm awake, love," I informed her. "But you probably already know that, since apparently you can hear me. You have to wake up soon. I'll take care of you when you do, I promise. You really should hate me for making empty promises, seeing as I failed you as I did." I sighed. "I'm sorry. I really am. I wanted to get to you sooner, but I had no idea that you were in trouble. Our link has been messing up lately, don't you think?" I didn't expect an answer, but I felt like I had to ask. "But you should've been more careful… And I shouldn't have let you go off on your own into a battlefield. I should have known that nothing good would come of that. Especially with your luck." I shook my head and sighed. And then I lie back down and let my eyes slip close. "I love you. Always will. Never forget that," I whispered and put my head back onto the pillow.

******This chapter and the next two will be about Yelena and her healing. And after that, the action starts, although I can't promise she will be coherent and fully functional for all of it.**

******Karl**


	36. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER 36**

Opal POV

I walked into Yelena's room and noticed that Valek's bed had been rolled in. He wasn't awake though. Both of them were asleep and Yelena's hand was in her beloved's. It was the sweetest thing. He had turned his body towards her, as if to offer some kind of protection although, at this point, he wasn't better off than she was. I smiled a little for the first time since Yelena had been possessed. Sighing, I moved closer to the bed. I put the tray of food I had brought in on the table and sat down in the chair near the bedside. I reached out and brushed Valek's hair out of his eyes.

"Wake up, Valek," I coaxed him softly. "I have food." His eyes shot open at the mention of food.

"Oh, God. I fell asleep, didn't I?" He groaned and rubbed his face roughly with his free hand. The other never let go of Yelena's. "You have food?" he asked. His eyes were hungry, ravenous even.

I chuckled. "Yes. I have stew and bread," I said, motioning to the tray on the bedside table.

Valek's face fell. "Do you have anything else? Like fruit? Or juice? Lemonade? Tea? Cake? Chocolate?"

My lips quirked at the last suggestion. "I do. But only after you eat what I brought right now. If you eat your food, you can have desert," I scolded him like a child.

Valek sighed but agreed. He managed to eat half the bowl of soup before exhaustion caught up with him and he couldn't even lift the spoon. He was forced to let me spoon-feed him. My brother's mood soured and he demanded I close the door so that there would be no witnesses to his weakness.

When Valek finished, as promised I brought him a cup of cold tea, a plate of fruit and a bar of chocolate. It was quite amusing to see the grown man eat a chocolate bar like a little boy. The treat was smeared around his mouth and on his chin in the end. I laughed at him, but he just shrugged me off and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "You have no idea how long ago I last had chocolate," he sighed dreamily.

"I can imagine… Considering how fast you devoured it." I laughed again and dodged out of his weak attempt to shove me.

His good mood disappeared though when he looked back at Yelena. "Do they know how long it will be before she wakes up?" he asked.

I gave him an apologetic smile to go with the shake of my head. "They have to get rid of the host completely and even then she will not be healed. You do realize that she is going to need a lot of attention before she can function on her own? They really hurt her. I don't think the nightmares will ever go away…"

"Nightmares?" Valek asked. He reached towards his love and ran a hand tenderly through her hair, caressing her scarred cheek. An ugly cross ran through the skin on the right side of her face. The healers said that it had already begun healing on its own and was infected when she was brought to them so they could do nothing to get rid of it.

"She cries a lot in her sleep. Screams too. I expect there will be more than a little nightmare when she gets out of this. She will need to be taken care of."

He looked horrified. His hands joined in prayer over his chest and looked up at the ceiling with he spoke in low voice, "Deus bone, Gratias ago pro reponit haec mulier admirabilis et orate doce me cura et dilectione in eam via digne. Gratias ago pro intellectum imminens ex meus postremus peccata nisi velit ... Opus iste formosus ne noceat creatura iniuria fecerunt in hoc mundo. Si ita erit, ut acciperet eam a me post eam Defeci ita ego intelligere. Sed semper quidem colere humi graditur Et poterit apud me iuvant necessarius. Quaeso dominus meus quod amor egredientur istius et invenies in respondeas orationibus meis, Amen.

_Dear God, I thank You for giving me this wonderful woman and I pray that You will teach me to care and love her in the way she deserves. I thank You for understanding and overlooking some of my worst sins, but please... You must not let this beautiful creature suffer for the wrong I have done in this world. If it is Your will to take her from me after I have failed her in such a way, I will understand. However, I will continue to worship the ground she walks on and she can come to me for help when needed. I beg of you my Lord that my love will come out of this whole and that You will find it in You to answer my prayers, Amen."_

He spoke in a language that I couldn't understand, but his voice held such veneration that I dared not interrupt him. When he was finished, he closed his eyes and sat for a moment in silence. I swallowed.

"Valek," I asked as his eyes opened and he exited his brief trance.

"Hmm…" he said in answer.

"What… What was that?"

"It was Latin," Valek told me, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Latin? That was a near forgotten language. People only used it to… "You were… praying?" I asked curiously. "You believe?" Believing was a rare thing now. Not many people had faith in God or any other form of superior force.

"Sometimes… I used to. When I was a child, we went to church every Sunday. I don't really believe anymore, but sometimes I need the support; someone to ask for help, for advice."

"What did you ask for?"

"Prayer is a very sacred and private world. We do not invade in another's time with God," Valek said. His voice was hard.

"Sorry, I didn't know." I looked down, feeling awkward.

"It's fine." He sighed. "That was harsh, I apologize. I asked for"—I cut him off.

"Don't. You're right. It's private. I shouldn't have asked. I'll see you later." I gave him a smile and left the room.

Yelena POV

I struggled to open my eyes, but they remained shut. Everything was so loud. And there was something in my arm. I heard somebody come in. What the hell was wrong with me? If I didn't wake up, they'd take me again. That man would come and rape me again. I shuddered, but I knew it was only in my mind. My body didn't respond to the commands I gave it anymore. Maybe they had broken me. Maybe I was currently trapped by the ritual? Panic clutched at my throat. That meant they would win the war. Voices caught my attention.

"She is in a magically induced trance, so she won't wake up, but she can hear you," I heard Ari's voice. No wonder I couldn't wake up. It was a forced sleep. "You can talk to her if you'd like."

A hand took a hold of mine. It was warm and felt good on my skin. The person rubbed circles on the back or my hand. I was uncomfortable with the contact. I didn't want them to touch me. They would hurt me just as _the others_ had. A new voice took over. Valek. I relaxed. He wouldn't hurt me… Would he? He never had. "I'm awake, love," he said. Awake? That meant he had—at some point—not been. What happened? Did I hurt him when they took over?

"But you probably already know that, since apparently you can hear me. You have to wake up soon for me. I'll take care of you when you do, I promise." I smiled to myself internally. Of course he would take care of me—not hurt me… I think.

"You really should hate me for making empty promises, seeing as I failed you as I did." Anger took over my senses. It was true. He had let me down. I had waited for him to come, but he hadn't. Our link failed us.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I wanted to get to you sooner, but I had no idea that you were in trouble," he whispered apologies. The fury that raged like a fire in my chest doused down a little. It wasn't his fault. He would have come sooner if he could have. He wouldn't let them hurt me…

"Our link has been messing up lately, don't you think?" Was he a mind-reader or something? There had to be a reason for the messing up. It wasn't because of _them_, was it? Or worse… because of _us._ No. That couldn't be. I wasn't losing him…

"But you should've been more careful…" The anger returned. But it wasn't directed at him this time. It was towards me. This was my fault. I was cocky and didn't call for help. I didn't keep the promise I gave him at his father's house. I wasn't careful.

"And I shouldn't have let you go off on your own into a battlefield. I should have known that nothing good would come of that. Especially with your luck." Remorse traveled from my heart and filled my soul. Of course he would blame this on himself. I sighed internally. But maybe it was? No… I think.

"I love you. Always will. Never forget that," he said quietly. I heard movement and I assumed he was settling in to sleep. _I love you too,_ I thought.

**Mary, I'm sorry about the loss of immunity, but I can assure you that is temporary. Although it won't be the same kind of immunity as previously, Valek will get his shield from magic back.**

**Karl**


	37. Chapter 37

**CHAPTER 37**

Crying was what woke me up. I looked around confused until I remembered where I was. I turned to Yelena, who was turning restlessly in her sleep. I managed to somehow climb over to her bed, which mine was pushed up against. Manoeuvring around the tubes that stuck out of her arms, I lay down beside her and pulled her small body against mine. She was too-warm with a fever and she was shivering. Slowly, I started rocking her and hummed a soft tune under my breath. It was a lullaby. One my mother had sung to me as a child. Step by step, Yelena calmed and she settled into my arms. And then her eyes opened.

Her scream echoed through the infirmary. I didn't move, just leaned in and whispered soft words into Yelena's ear. After a while, the screaming ceased and she began to rock back and forth in my arms. She reached up to pull the tubes out of her arms, but I stopped her, which resulted in more yelling.

"Yelena…" I coaxed her softly into looking my way. "Shh…" I held her close. "It's all right. Don't cry. It's only me. Shh… There are people on the way to help. You're out of that horrid place; they'll never hurt you again. I swear. I'll kill anyone who even thinks about laying a hand on you. I'm never letting you out of my sight again." I covered the top of her head and face with kisses. She had calmed and was now relaxed in my arms.

The nurses tore through the door, causing Yelena to jolt suddenly. A whimper managed to escape her lips before I could soothe her.

"What is going on here? How long has she been awake? Why didn't you call us right away?" The questions were already pouring out.

"She just woke up. Now be quiet. She's terrified. And I'm pretty sure she has a fever. Or maybe I have one…" I mused. "Either way, one of us needs something for a fever." When nobody moved, I snapped fingers to obtain attention. "Well, get to it," I ordered. The medical staff hurried to oblige. As soon as most had disappeared from the room, I allowed Yelena some breathing space. She closed her eyes briefly in concentration, but moved a little farther away. I could understand her discomfort with men—tortured as she had been—but the rejection still stung.

"How do you feel?" I asked her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Tears accumulated in the corners of her eyes and leaked out onto her cheeks. She shrugged.

"You don't know? You have a fever. Are you going to take the medicine the healers give you?" I asked.

She nodded slowly. And then shook her head. And nodded again. She opened her mouth, but didn't say anything; she exploded into tears.

I reached out towards her. She jumped at my touch. "Shh… I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe with me." I rubbed her back slowly.

The nurse ran back into the room. She held a cup of water and pills. "Umm… For the fever." She handed them to me. "Take two each. I'll get you something to eat." She left, handing me the pills and drink.

And Yelena backed out of my arms, whimpering. "I promise, I won't hurt you," I told her. I reached out to her, but she didn't respond. She just continued backing away until she was out of reach. Until she fell off the bed. The tubes ripped out of her skin and she yelped. Little streams of blood pooled out of the places the tubes had been and dripped down her arms. New tears dripped down her face. She looked so lost and small.

Then her mouth opened and she whispered almost inaudibly, "He'll come back." The words were as quiet as a breath and, if I hadn't seen her lips move, I would have believed I was imagining things.

"What?" I asked. It was a rhetorical question, posed basically to myself, so she didn't answer. I didn't think she would have answered either way. "No, Yelena. He's gone. Forever. He'll never come back to hurt you. I promise," I reassured her. She didn't say anything once again. "Answer me," I pleaded.

She observed me. Then she put a finger to her lips—_be quiet—_and opened her mouth. "I can't," her words were even quieter than the first time. I had trouble catching them. "He will hear me. He will come and hurt me," she breathed on the same tone. Quieter than a mouse.

"Yelena," I murmured, shocked. "He will not touch you. Ever. I swear it on my soul. He will never lay a hand on you again," I vowed.

She shushed me by putting a finger to her lips. I pushed myself off the bed and onto the floor and ramped closer to her slowly. I stopped at a safe distance though. No need to frighten her. She whimpered and pressed against the wall in back of her even from where I was.

I was horrified. So much hurt had been inflicted on this poor soul. I moved closer and reached out slowly, once again asking permission to touch her. She let me and I placed the hand on the side of her neck. "Baby," I whispered. "What did they do to you, sweetheart?" I murmured. Yelena moved closer and I lay her against me. "They hurt you, love, didn't they? Shh…" I reassured when she shuddered with a supressed sob. I threaded my fingers through her hair and caressed her face. Yelena let out a contented purr. "Shh… That feels good now, doesn't it?" I murmured into her hair. "I won't hurt you. Shh… I'll keep you safe." She erupted into sobs. They shook her body all the while I held her, promising everything would be all right, that he would never come back and that I would keep her safe. When her weeping finally ceased, I was laying on the floor, my arms still tight around her. Yelena had passed out in utter exhaustion and I was grateful when the nurse came in and moved her to the bed. The damned lethargy wouldn't allow me to even sit so Ari and Janco had to haul me to my cot. I don't remember being placed in it so I must have fallen asleep on the way.

I woke up in a different room. It was still dark and I was shivering. I squinted in the darkness and realized that my sheets were on the floor. Why would they be on the floor? I had trained myself to be motionless while asleep. Then maybe someone had moved them. But, that too, led to a disappointment. I should have woken up if there were somebody in the room, or even in the doorway. I let it go. Whatever. I was tired. I reached down from my cot and wrapped the blanket back around me.

I was however unable to find sleep. I turned restlessly, but my mind wouldn't allow me to find refuge. Pointless questions ran through my mind about the infirmary's staff names, flashes of the morning my brothers had died, different orders that I had carried out for the Commander, memories of the time in Brazell's dungeon when Yelena sat in tears while she sobbed out her story, my daughter's face when she was born… There was absolutely no point to these thoughts and they stampeded through my mind, stopping me from sleeping. But what bothered me most was that I had the stinking feeling that somebody else could see every single thing that went through my mind. I felt vulnerable.

I wondered if my immunity was still intact. I doubted it. They had healed me with magic and… Yelena said that I had acquired it following a traumatic event: my brothers' death. Now, I had watched the woman I loved get raped. Was it possible that my mind had once again snapped and protected itself by lashing out with magical power? Maybe. I it wouldn't surprise me. The human mind was truly complex and amazing in itself. So many mechanisms it had in store to protect and defend.

My predicament carried on for several days. My little trip off the bed to comfort Yelena had cost me dearly and I had no hope of getting up. I was condemned to my bed and the only news I got of her was through a nurse, one of my seconds or Opal. Leif had disappeared from the picture completely. I had a bad feeling that he would resurface later, at the worst possible time.

This morning, I woke to screaming. I groaned and threw my pillow over my head. I had come to notice that screaming was a normal episode here in the hospital. I just hated when patients had their fits in the morning. I wasn't ready to get up yet. Crying out in frustration, I covered my ears with the pillow and tried, unsuccessfully, to block out the noise.

The door to my bedroom suddenly flew open and Janco ran in like a madman. "Valek," he screamed. Yes, why didn't he yell it even louder? Maybe some Sitian assassin would hear him and jump me while I was an easy target.

"What do you want?" I demanded. "I'm tired, I want to go back to sleep."

"It's Yelena," he said. Those two words were all it took. I was wide awake and propped myself up in my cot.

"What about her?" I asked worriedly. "Is she hurt? Does she need anything?"

My previous second in command shook his head. "She's having an… episode. That's what the healer called it. She's calling for you. The healer thinks she needs to be sedated."

"Sedated?" I demanded. "No. Get me over there. Yelena will be fine. Someone just needs to pull her out of the fog, talk to her." When Janco made to move, I snapped my fingers, adopting once again the I-am-in-command-and-you-have-to-do-as-I-say façade. "Get to it. I have to get over there."

Janco seemed to snap out of it. "Right," he said and shook his head. "Get you to Yelena." He moved to my bed and wheeled my down the hallway to my beloved's room. I was anxious to see her, not having been able to for the last few days.

She was on the floor, screaming bloody-murder and rocking back and forth in a fetal position. There was a nurse trying to approach her with a needle. I assumed she was going to jab and put her to sleep. "No," I cried out. "Don't. Let me talk to her," I demanded. Mustering all the strength I could manage, I propped myself up on the bed and dragged myself to the floor. Damned lethargy. I was so vulnerable. I slumped back against the leg of my cot, exhaustion taking over. I was more than conscious of everybody in the room watching me.

Yelena's scream was the only sound that could be heard in the room. I slowly reached towards her and touched her arm to get her attention. "Yelena," I coaxed. "Yelena, please stop screaming." Her shrieks lessened, although still present. However, the moment I stopped talking, they resumed.

"Keep talking to her. Tell her to focus on your voice and only your voice. She should be able to get out of the flashback that way," Janco told me. I frowned at him, but did as he said.

Talking Yelena gently by the shoulders, I talked to her, "Yelena. Listen to me. Concentrate on my voice. The things you see aren't real. I'm real. I'm here for you. Focus on my voice." I kept repeating until her screams stopped and she snapped out of her stupor.

For a moment, she sat motionless, and then silent tears flowed down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook underneath my hands and she seemed to take notice of the contact. She followed my arms all the way to my face and erupted into a new round of tears. She leaned against me, crying her heart out. Of course, Leif chose that moment to come in. As I predicted, at the worst possible time. He took one look at Yelena and me and started to scream obstinacies at me. Yelena practically jumped out of her skin at the sudden loudness and, with a little more force than necessary, climbed further into my arms. I grunted under her weight, hating that I was too weak to even properly cradle my girlfriend in my arms, but overcame the numb pain and held her close.

"Are you done?" I asked once he calmed down a little.

"Hell no," Yelena's brother said furiously. "I've just gotten started. First, you get her knocked up with a child that neither of you can take care of. Next, you leave her to wander around alone in a battlefield—which causes the enemy to capture her. And then she ends up being tortured and raped and God knows what else." I flinched involuntarily at his words. He was right… except for one detail.

"I got her out of there," I told him quietly.

"Yes, but if it weren't for you, she wouldn't have ended up in that place," he spat back at me. "I bet you enjoyed that, didn't you? You sick son of a bitch."

I saw red. A sudden adrenaline rush had me on my feet. I held Leif by the neck, suspended off the ground. "Don't you ever say that to me again," I threatened. "You can insult _me _all you want. But don't _ever _insult my mother again. Understand?" I shook him, further cutting off his air supply. I dropped him to the ground and a sudden wave of dizziness threw me down as well. The audience was speechless. What I didn't know, was it whether because I had almost killed him or because I was defending my mother.

Leif sat on the floor, dazed. "My mother was an innocent woman and she doesn't deserve any of your insults," I told him. He didn't seem to be listening to me, grasping at his throat again and again, trying to relieve it from the tension and pain I had inflicted. Good. He deserved it. Yelena was screaming again. Fuck. This was not turning out well. Not that I expected it to. Leif had gone too far. And my head was spinning from it. I groaned and supported my head with my hand. I definitely wouldn't be getting up for a while now. That so called 'adrenaline rush' didn't help at all. I tucked my legs up to my chest and put my head between my knees. That usually helped with dizziness, nausea and the likes.

After a moment, my vision rearranged itself from the dangerous tilt it was taking on. I swallowed slowly and looked around the room. Leif was glaring at me murderously and Janco was sitting on the floor with a shaking Yelena in his arms. He was whispering very softly in her ear, "It's just your imagination. A flashback. Listen to my voice. I'm here, what you're seeing isn't real. Calm down, sweetheart."

I shook my head in an attempt to clear it. I had just enough time to see Leif's fist as it swung my way. Reflexively, I caught it. And twisted until he was on the floor, writhing in pain. "How the hell did you do that?" Leif panted.

"Years and years of practice. I don't know how you keep forgetting how much training I've had. Maybe I've gone soft," I mused. My relationship with Yelena had opened me up to much too many people. I was going to have to change that—go back to the ruthless assassin image. It would take some effort, but I'm pretty sure I could pull it off. I'll start right away.

I let the cold steel mask I had constantly worn before Yelena come over my features. And kept it there. Slowly, using the bed for support, I stood on wobbly legs. I was going to have to fix that. A nurse reached out to aid me. I pushed her arm away violently. "Don't touch me," I snapped. She put her arm down. Ari looked at me with disappointment in his eyes—_I thought you said you were leaving that part of yourself behind._ I gave him a sharp look. He looked away almost immediately.

"You have no idea now lucky you are that I have no weapons on me right now. Trust me, it's a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity," I said to Leif. "If I were you, I would leave immediately and spare myself a gruesome death. I will not hesitate to kill you when I get my hands on a knife."

Leif stared at me, as if he couldn't believe what was happening. I grabbed him by the neck again and threw him to the ground by the door. "Scram," I ordered. Yelena's brother scrambled to his feet and ran from the room. My energy seemed to have returned, by some miracle. Something told me it was because of my lost immunity. It angered me.

I turned on the other occupants of the room. "Get out," I said in a cold voice. "I need to be alone." Eyes wide, the medics and nurses hurried out. Ari, Janco and Opal remained. They stared at me. Ari looked disappointed, Janco surprised and Opal—sad. My seconds left the room; Janco placed my beloved gently on the bed under my watchful gaze. The door shut. Opal continued to look at me. It was the look Yelena always used on me before I succumbed to anything she had asked for.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I demanded. She didn't answer, just blinked once and continued her silent brooding. "Stop it," I told her, shooing her away with my hand. She reminded me of every single person I had let down. I wanted to get on my knees to grovel and beg for her forgiveness.

Opal took one step and wrapped her arms around my middle. She hugged me fiercely, sobbing quietly. I didn't react at first, standing there awkwardly in her embrace, but soon I wrapped my arms around her. I didn't know why she was crying and I was positive the old me would have untangled her from my body and sent her out the door, but, after seeing what had happened to Yelena, I didn't think I'd ever be able to let a girl cry.

"Why are you crying?" I asked. Still too sharply, but better than the tone I had been using previously.

She didn't answer my question, but started to reassure me, "It's going to be all right Valek. You know that, right?" she whispered, looking up at me. "You don't have to bury into yourself. You don't have to hide." She thought I was hiding. That the steel mask was a way for me to escape reality.

"You're wrong," I told her. I laughed bitterly at her stunned features. "You don't know me Opal," I said cruelly. "This face… It isn't a disguise. This is me. I'm not hiding. I'm just facing reality. This is a war. People die in a war. Assassins kill people." I shrugged. "No big deal. I've been doing this since… Since I was thirteen."

"Thirteen?" she whispered, moving away from me unconsciously.

I offered her a vicious smile. "You've never seen an assassin Opal. You're an innocent little girl in a shell of an adult woman. Please don't go around making assumptions about people you don't know. You're my sister and I love you, but if you had been anyone else, I can't guarantee you would be in one piece right now."

She stared at me in shock. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't know."

I pulled her close. "It's all right. Just don't get hurt, all right? I don't think I would be able to stop myself from killing the bastard who would dare put a hand on you."

Opal stiffened and pulled away. She didn't look at me when she started towards the door. She paused wither hand resting on the handle. "I'm not an innocent little girl, Valek. I have killed. You trained me yourself. Do remember that next time _you_ make assumptions." The door clicked shut. I sighed.

Yelena was looking at me without speaking. Her green orbs sparkled as she gazed at me. It was the same look Opal had just given me. The kind of look only women seemed to manage and that made you feel all weird inside. You felt the need to confess for something you hadn't done, but had to take to the blame for. I groaned. "Stop looking at me like that." I went over and rested my hand over her eyes. Yelena's eyelashes brushed my skin as she shut her eyelids to the darkness.

I sat down by the bed and lay my cheek on the sheets, next to Yelena's face. She opened her eyes again. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I don't know what I'm apologizing for—not that there aren't many things that I am responsible for—but… it's just the look you give me. It's like you know everything. Like you can see through me, see the faults I've been trying to cover up." I closed my eyes.

I sensed movement and felt something in my hair. I peered at Yelena. She wasn't focused on me anymore. Her fingers brushed through the messy locks of my hair. I closed my eyes and knelt as comfortably as I could on the floor next to her bed.

I could do this. I could go back to the way I was before. It would be better for everybody…

**Thank you to all those who reviewed and to Just-Acting-Naturally, my beta and the girl who showed me the chips of which Canada has deprived me.**

**I promise that Yelena will start getting a lot better in the next chapter and you will finally see some real action.**

**Karl**


	38. Chapter 38

**One more chapter of boring and then another of talk and some serious lambasting (Purpleninjamonkey) from Leif and then we have the real action. So don't leave me just yet. There are going to be approximately 45 chapters to this story, so we're almost there, and I'm working hard to get them done for you :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 38**

_It is my feeling that Time ripens all things; with Time all things are revealed; Time is the father of truth._

***Seven Months Later***

War raged on. Ixia and Sitia were rapidly losing men and arms. Prisoners did not last long in the enemy camp and, with every one of them, the Blood Magicians gained more power. It was a vicious circle in which we had no upper hand whatsoever. The more we lost, the more they gained which lead to even greater loss on our side and more power on theirs.

Opal and the Power Twins had left a long time ago. Ari and Janco, from what I had heard, had gone to battle with the Commander's troops and Opal had gone to the safe-camps to help with the children that, like her adoptive ones, had been sent there for the duration of the war.

Yelena had confined herself to her room and refused to leave. She didn't eat anymore. Her energy came from a baggie of liquid attached to one of her veins. It was a juice made of all kinds of high-sugar snacks infused with magic for good measure. I sighed when I thought about her.

I, on the other hand, was only sticking around because Yelena was still in the infirmary and I had nowhere else to go. The metal mask had once again become a permanent feature of my person and no one dared question me. I strolled down the hallways of the building I had come to memorize with time. There were no more surprises and, for some odd reason, Ognap hadn't been taken by the Blood Magicians. I had received news that Nutty, Brielle and others from the Zaltana homestead had been sent away for safety. I had sent a message to Maren asking her to take Nutty, Brielle and—if she had a lover—up north.

I wandered into the common room of the hospital and took a seat, knowing that I would have food delivered as soon as someone spotted me.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a hot bowl of oatmeal in front of me. I dug in, not giving any attention to the sideway glances that the other occupants of the room were giving me. I was a human being, believe it or not, and I wasn't going to take crap from anyone. A sudden absence of noise reeled me out of my reverie. I looked up and almost spit out the spoonful of oatmeal that was in my mouth in surprise.

Yelena stood on the opposite side of the table, wearing a hospital gown. Slowly, never taking her eyes off me, she sat in the seat adjacent to her position. All eyes were on us and no one dared so much as cough. I swallowed the lump of un-chewed oatmeal and continued to stare at her.

A nurse came to our table and stood by it for a moment before asking uncertainly, "Would you like anything to eat?" The entire cafeteria hung on to her every word. People were wound up tight and waited for Yelena to combust.

Yelena nodded and pointed wordlessly to my bowl of oatmeal, all the while her eyes trained on my face. The nurse answered, "All right dear, I'll get some for you." She walked away. The clicking of her heals echoed through the silent room. Slowly, whispered conversations started to resume, but it wasn't hard to tell the topic had changed—to the new occupant of the room—rather than gone back to the previous one.

We sat staring at each other in silence until Yelena's food arrived. Then, my long-lost beloved finally looked down and started to turn her spoon in her bowl. She didn't eat anything, just looked at the food and moved it around with her utensil. It was lifeless. I wondered whether I should engage in some sort of contact or conversation. Cautiously, I put a spoonful of the now-cold sloppy soup in my bowl into my mouth. Yelena didn't respond so I continued eating. However, she seemed to take example from me and started to eat as well.

I finished and waited for her to do so too. She didn't say anything and I didn't want to risk scaring her away if I spoke so I didn't speak either.

Finally, Yelena's mouth opened and she said in that same whisper quiet voice she had last used seven months ago, "Do you still love me?"

_That_ was the first question she asked me? "Yes," I said to her without hesitation. "I love you." My voice was the one of the mask. I couldn't risk revealing myself in the middle of a common room.

She hung her head and looked at me from underneath her eyelashes as she answered, "I love you too." She had recognized the steel voice. "Is Janco here?" she suddenly asked.

I swallowed nervously, hating to let her down. Did she have any idea how much time she had spent locked up in seclusion in that room? I was suddenly angry. Seven months of silence so that she could ask me if I loved her and then she could saunter off to Janco? I lurched out of my seat, knocking my chair over. "No," I said in a hard voice. "He, Ari and Opal left. They went to fight. I am going as well."

Yelena flinched and reached over the table. I jerked away from her obvious intent to touch me. "Why did you go back to the old Valek?" she whispered no louder than before. "I liked my Valek better. He's the one I fell in love with. Can I have him back, please?" she whimpered.

I blinked and staggered back, feeling as if I had been punched in the gut. I cleared the emotion off my face quickly. "You don't love this Valek?" I asked.

Yelena looked down. "I can't _not_ love him—he is a part of the Valek I love."

Something glistened on her cheek and I leaned over to her. "Why are you crying?" I demanded.

My love sniffed, but there were no tears in her eyes when she looked up. "Go," she ordered. "You have nothing left to dwell on here. Go fight. Win. You can." Her expression left no room for any sort of argument.

"No I can't." My earlier resolve had evaporated and the anger had too. She didn't deserve my ire. Yelena had been through too much.

I moved to her side of the table and reached out to her. She shrunk away and I moved back hesitantly. "Can I hold you?" I asked, my tone much gentler than before.

Yelena seemed to be taken aback by my question. "Not here," she whispered as she gestured to the room full of curious people around us. I had forgotten where we were.

"Then let's go back to your room," I suggested.

"No, I like it here."

"Yelena, if you're not comfortable with me touching you, just say so. You have a perfectly good reason. Nobody should have to go through the things those animals did to you. When I get my hands on them… I'll rip them limb from limb. They will suffer for what they did to you," I threatened. My voice had become dark and menacing.

Yelena stared at me. "I'm sorry," she whispered and looked down.

I turned to her sharply. "I have to talk to you. Privately, without all these people listening in," I said.

Yelena sat on her hospital bed, looking up at me. I shut the door and knelt on the floor in front of her. I let the mask drop off my features and looked into her eyes, honest for the first time in seven months. "Yelena," I whispered.

I stood. "God, Yelena. You have no idea how worried I was about you." I closed my eyes and exhaled sharply through my nose. Without thinking, I pulled her into me and buried my face in her hair. "I love you. And I don't know how to make you see how grateful I am that you're here—safe and healthy."

Yelena stiffened. I pulled away to look at her. "Please don't," she whispered. "I can't even handle the healer coming to close. I wouldn't want to pass out on you."

"I won't ever hurt you Yelena, I promise."

"If I believed every person who told me that, I wouldn't be here right now," she answered. "Not that I don't trust you, but, please, try to understand," Yelena whispered.

I sighed. "I'm trying. I'll take care of you, Yelena. I promise, I will. I'll fix you. You'll be happy again." I hadn't once seen her smile yet. Surely she still could. All she needed was a little push. "_I'll_ make you happy again."

Yelena's lips gave a small quirk that could be considered a smile if one looked past the dead eyes and slumped shoulders.

I looked at her sadly. How much effort it would take to fix this poor shell-of-a-woman, I didn't know. But I would give my all. She needed it. She deserved it. She had fought with all her might to save secrets that we could use to battle the Blood Magicians. She hadn't given any away, but, in the end, her soul was on the line. And it had been damaged.

I wanted nothing more than to gather her little broken body into my arms and keep her there for all of eternity. To pull her so close that our souls merged into one; so we became one and she would be safe from harm.

"I know you will. You'll try your hardest, I know you will." She reached out and pushed my hair back affectionately. "I love you, V. 'Kay?" she whispered.

I smiled lightly at the nickname she had taken up for me so long ago during our moments together. I didn't mind it, but she had never used it up front before. "Want to talk about it?" I asked. I'd rather listen to a horror story than worry about her all the time. She had confessed in me once, about Reyad, she could do it again. I sat on the bed beside her, but didn't throw my arm around her shoulders like I normally would have

Yelena sighed. "No…" Her answer was somewhat uncertain.

"You told me last time, love," I reminded. "I won't judge you, you know that. You are without a doubt the strongest person I know. It'll help to have someone listen to you," I coaxed her.

"Maybe some other time, V. I'm not in the mood to talk right now," she said. Her cover-up excuse sucked, but I wasn't going to push it.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart."

She smiled in return, but, once again, it did not reach her eyes. I was at loss. I had thought it would be easy. Well, not really. If I was being honest with myself, I had to admit that it had been a false hope to think that Yelena would just open up to me and that everything would be all right. But things were much more complicated than that.

"What now?" she asked after a log moment spent in awkward silence.

I looked her over. She looked so breakable. The healers had proclaimed her physically healthy, but it didn't look like it at all. Scars marred the skin that was visible from underneath her hospital gown. The right side of her face had mutilated beyond recognition. Two scars criss-crossed there. One began at her temple and followed her hairline to curve under her jaw. The line was thick and jagged, often trailing off its course. The second, just as ugly and fat as the first, took birth at the corner of her mouth—pulling down one side of her lips into a permanent scowl—caught outer side of her eye and met the first just below the temple. It was a terrifying work of art. Some sick bastard had probably enjoyed reminding her of her place. I felt the need to touch it, to soothe the ache that it had no doubt caused her. It was my fault.

"Valek," Yelena asked.

I snapped out of my trance. "Nothing. You should rest. I'll give you some privacy. I'll be leaving in a few days. We need as much back-up as we can get," I informed her.

"I'm not tired," she responded. "Don't leave," she added as an afterthought.

I paused in my movement to rise. "As you wish."

"Do that thing you did before," she whispered after a moment. "Hold me."

I smiled and leaned against the headboard. "Come closer," I beckoned. I wanted _her_ to come to _me, _not the other way around, just to be safe.

She hesitated for half a beat and then moved slowly in my direction. I kept my posture open and waited. Yelena crawled into my arms. I secured a hold around her and guided her head to the crook between my neck and shoulder. I heard her inhale deeply.

"You're safe, love," I promised. "Nothing can touch you so long as you're in my arms."

"Never let me go."

"Never," I agreed.

* * *

**Oh, and Valek's interview has been updated. All the questions that were asked on this story and Harlequin's Valek's Poison Study have been posted on our blog. The link is on my profile if you want to check it out.**

**Yelena is up next. Although, if you want to ask any character questions (including original characters-Brielle, Malory, Prudence, etc.-you can. Just leave any of your questions with your review.  
**

**Karl :D**


	39. Chapter 39

**Here is chapter 39. Which I had finished a while ago but was too much of a lazy-ass to type up. That's to go for the next three chapters as well. So give me some initiative for typing, please *hint, hint*...**

***Smiles intensively* I got onto Pottermore! On the last day, but I got on! And I'm so happy! So now I'm practically _hounding_ my inbox for the welcome letter -' Yes, I need a life. I'm going to secondary four in two weeks and I'm still such a child. Gosh. I don't think I'll ever grow up. Oh well!**

_**Growing old is mandatory. Growing **_**up_, however..._**

**Enjoy (:**

**PLEASE READ THE IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 39**

Days passed and our hope disappeared further with each passing one. Yelena—our only salvation—refused to use magic. No reasons were given on her part, she just didn't want to. We lost men and magicians fell like flies. The curses of the Blood Magicians were lethal. Our only hope to win any battle was gone. With Yelena into the dark place where she had receded.

It was time for desperate measures. My loss of immunity was a problem that needed to be looked into. Yelena would help me if I asked her. Hopefully she wouldn't suspect my subtle form of blackmail.

I walked into her room that morning, my plan in action. "Yelena," I coaxed her sleeping figure. "Get up, love. I have breakfast. And I have to speak with you."

"Mmm…" She reached out a hand in an attempt to push me away, but failed miserably. "Five more minutes…" she mumbled, already falling back asleep. She had never been a morning person.

As the seconds ticked by, Yelena slowly pushed herself into an upright position, leaning against the metal bedframe. She stretched slowly—very much like a cat—loosening her muscles as she yawned. She blinked blearily, offering me a lazy look. "What is it that you want to ask of me?"

"I… um…" I had suddenly lost my resolve. "I have a question for you, about magic. Well, more like a hypothetical situation."

Yelena nodded. "Go ahead. I'll try to answer you to the best of my knowledge." She gave me another one of her almost-but-not-quite-there smiles.

Here I go, "All right. Say, if I were to lose my immunity? Firstly, is that possible?"

My love's eyes widened. "How could that be possible? In a way, that would be like me losing my magic. It's a part of you. How could that change?"

"Love, remember, this is all hypothetical," I lied smoothly.

She sighed in relief and I felt guilty for deceiving her. "Lose your immunity?" she reconsidered. "Hmm… Come to think of it, yes. I suppose you could. Didn't Opal? But then again, Opal _did_ start out with magic…" She frowned, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "Although… if you were to create a nullsheild powerful enough to shield you permanently from magic than you too must have had magic as some point in time…" She trailed off into thought. "Yes, I supposed it would be possible. Go on with your inquiry."

"And, to continue with my hypothetical situation, how would you be able to assist me? Would you be able to offer me any sort of training? Is there a manner of suppressing it and having it return as an immunity?" Crap. I said _is._ Yelena frowned suspiciously. If she figured me out, I was in big trouble for lying to her face.

"You would need a teacher of course so that you could better comprehend the magic that would surely be raging through your veins, _should this be reality."_ She was onto me. "I am qualified to be someone's teacher, so I suppose that would be my way of assisting you. I don't think… suppressing it? No. There is no way of suppressing it. The magic will have to be controlled and prevented from flaming out." She knew. She was using the present. No more 'would-be's.

Just as I was about to lose my nerve, Leif stepped carefully through the door. I cursed. Was it just me, or did this man have a death wish?

"Yelena," Leif spoke. His tone was oddly formal. He was not talking as her brother, but as someone of governmental importance. "Master Magicians Jewelrose and Bloodgood, as well as Commander Ambrose of Ixia have ordered you, as liaison, to arise to your responsibilities Soulfinder."

I stood corrected. I guess he _did_ have a death wish.

"Please specify," Yelena said calmly.

Leif smirked and the informal tone disappeared. "You can no longer cower in the infirmary with the father of your bastard child. Men are dying, in a war of which the cause lies with you. Your violent and irrational behaviour has spurred are enemies on. Your actions have brought pain and misery upon the people of both Sitia and Ixia. The least you can do is stop hiding behind a man that has no honor, waiting for battle to cease and for peace treaties to be signed. You are hereby ordered to use your magic and aid in our victory over the Daviians," Leif spat hatefully.

"No honor? You say I have no honor?" I demanded.

"Yes, I do. And it is the truth. It is no secret that you have been stripped of your position in Ixia. You fathered her bastard child. Between the two of you, you will not have a solid income to provide her with and you will not take her as your wife. _That _is called a man of no honor," Leif said.

Meanwhile, Yelena looked panic-stricken. Not only had Leif just insulted me—which could easily result in his death—but he had just ordered her to go out and face her fears head on.

I narrowed my eyes at Leif. He took an involuntary step back. Smart of him. "Here, let me fix some of your problems, since you obviously have so many," I offered. I was going to prove him wrong. How dare he call me a man of no honor?

I turned to Yelena. She back away a little. "Calm down, sweetheart," I first said. She peered at me through a curtain of hair. I reached out tentatively. I needed her to trust me, if she was to listen to and think over my offer. "Shh…" I soothed when I was finally able to put a palm on her cheek.

I took a deep breath and knelt down in front of her. Sneaking a look at Leif over my shoulder, I spoke, "Yelena, I've been thinking about asking you this for a while, actually. I just didn't know how or when. But now, Leif has just supplied me with the perfect opportunity." I drew in breath. "Yelena Liana Zaltana, will you give me the _honor"—_I stressed the word, eying Leif—"of having you as my wife?" I paused to let my words sink in. "Marry me, Yelena."

Yelena just stared at me for a long moment.

I swallowed nervously. "I know this is sudden and probably not the romantic engagement that girls dream of, but I want this. I really do. And I don't have a ring and I know I must sound pathetic right now—"

"—Yes."

"What?" Leif spluttered.

"Really?" I asked happily at the same time.

Yelena ignored Leif. "Yes, I will." She looked at me with her first real smile since her rescue. "I'll marry you, Valek."

"You can't," Leif said suddenly. I turned to him. He looked desperate.

"Oh?" I inquired. "Did you not just imply that her child was a bastard because she was in love with a man of no honor?" Leif pursed his lips. "You cannot go back on your word. Unless you wish to swallow the insults you have just graced upon us."

"Insults?" he retorted. "They are facts. And it was an order. Yelena is to go out a fight. Just like the rest of us."

"I quit," Yelena's voice rang out clearly in the room. I cringed. I knew how much she hated being discussed like an object.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Leif asked in a mocking tone.

"I quit," Yelena repeated. "I am the liaison no longer."

"You can't do that," her brother all but shrieked at her. "You are ordered to come to your senses and rise to your responsibilities."

"If I am no longer liaison, then the responsibilities are no longer mine." Leif did not realize it, but Yelena had much more experience in this field than he did. She spent her days writing up treaties and discussing with the leaders of two nations that disagreed on most everything. Diplomacy and the art of elusion in her words was her specialty.

"Enough," I commanded, my own specialty flaring. "Yelena can do as she pleases."

"No. Yelena will come with me. To the plains. She will give her life to a better cause. Better her than all of Ixia and Sitia. It is her they want, so it is her we shall offer them. Hopefully, it will appease them enough for us to bring down what they have created."

"_What?"_ The word was unspoken, but it rang so loudly in the air it felt as though all the occupants of the infirmary had cried out at once. "You will give her up?" I asked. "_That_ is your brilliant plan? To sacrifice her?" I almost laughed. It would never work. They must really be getting desperate if they were willing to give the Blood Magicians what they want.

"It won't work," my love said.

"And why not?" Leif asked. "Because you are too afraid to act?"

"No. Because it will give them the upper hand. They want my blood, Leif. They only found out after I had gone, but now they realize how valuable I was." Yelena's words were proud, but I knew they were true. She would never say something like that without meaning it.

"Well, aren't you just full of yourself?" Apparently Leif didn't know that fundamental law that defined Yelena. She didn't answer. Obviously, he had insulted her. But Leif, being the idiot he always is, continued, "It is what it takes to save my country, so be it. Your fear does not mean anything anymore. The Masters and the Commander as well and the Generals and Council have agreed on this. You are to accompany me whether you wish to or not. It is your duty to the countries you have pledged to serve." Leif's proclamation was wise, but hateful. Filled with the spite he had bottled over the years.

Yelena's breathing shuddered. Leif had sprung the perfect trap. The only thing Yelena couldn't stand was guilt. And the Zaltana, her own brother, had used her weakness against her. "Stop," she whispered. "Don't say anymore. I'll come with you." She bowed her head. "You are right. There is no other way."

"No." I put a hand out in front of her, blocking her from Leif. "There is another way. There has to be. We will find another way. We always have." I was the desperate one now. We had always prevailed over the Blood Magicians. Always. We would find another way. Just like we always had.

"Let me go, Valek," Yelena's soft voice pleaded. "I have to go. I'll come back to you in the next world. Fate will bring us back together if it is meant to be," she told me. Her hand was on my arm, pushing past me.

I looked at her, momentarily forgetting that there was another person present in the room. "I can't… I can't lose you," I admitted.

"Come with me," she responded. "We'll find a way."

* * *

**The blog had been updated! For those who are too lazy to go on my profile to check the link: www . karlharlequin . weebly . com**

**If you have questions for any characters in this story, leave them with your review or PM me!**

**Harlequin has reached her ultimum of 400 reviews for Valek's Poison Study, so her alternate scene will be posted under the One-Shots section on the site very soon. Please go read my one-shot on there as well. I wrote it for my french teacher after she lost her baby this year. Your support is greatly appreciated.**

**I was going to post a poll on my profile, but it turns out that the feature does not work for me :P I would like to know if you, my readers, would be interested in a sequel to this story. It would feature a grown up Brielle as the main character.**

**Dark Secrets: Thanks to Just-Acting-Naturally (who also beta-ed this chapter, as Harlequin is on vacation), I have a minor plot figured out. I am sorry about the hold up, but I'm going to keep you waiting just a while longer so that I can map out the details. Thank you for your patience!**

**Karl (:**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hey! I'm back and you'll be happy to know that I'm really getting to typing. So you'll have chapters more quickly.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

**CHAPTER 40**

"Are you sure?" I asked her for what felt like the millionth time.

Yelena nodded. Several nurses were crowding around her, giving her a once-over, multiple times. If she was to leave the infirmary, she had to first be proclaimed completely healthy. "You may go, Soulfinder," one of the staff finally said. They had taken to calling her Soulfinder now that she was going off to war.

"Let's go," Yelena said. Her voice held no emotion. I gazed at her, not daring to ask the question again, but knowing she would answer anyway. Yelena sighed, "For the umpteenth time, Valek, _yes._ I am going with Leif. This is my fault and I have to fix it. I'll get out of this alive. And if I don't, at least I will have saved hundreds of others from the same fate."

I grew angry. How dare Leif plant this idea in her head? "This isn't your fault. No matter what your brother told you," I ground out. "Leif is not as much of an idiot as many believe him to be. He knows the only way to get you to come with him is to guilt trip you_. The choice is solely up to you. If you don't feel comfortable taking this risk, stay in the infirmary. Nobody will think any less of you for it. You are entitled to a long rest after what you went through." I trailed a hand down the side of her neck, pushing her hair away.

Yelena took a deep breath. She was angry. I flinched and moving my hand away. "I. Am. Going. With. Leif." Her words were exaggeratedly slow, as if speaking to someone mentally ill. Perhaps I did seem a little slow, constantly questioning of her decision.

"Yelena… I just…" I attempted to explain myself. "I can't bear to lose you."

My love smiled serenely. "You won't. I am not afraid to death, Valek. I know what awaits me on the other side and, if I am sent there, I will wait for you. We _will_ be together." She used my words against me. The same words I had said to her when I had left her to depart for Sitia.

I sighed heavily; there was no talking her out of this. She was as ready as ever. Yelena had accepted her fate, whatever it may be, and had chosen to embrace it. She was ready to fulfill the destiny she believed had been drawn up for her even if it led her to death. She was not afraid of the end. I, on the other hand, was terrified. I had committed much wrong during my life and my soul would undoubtedly be punished. I was not looking forward to that particular fate.

"What is on the other side?" I asked on impulse.

Yelena turned from packing her clothing. Her eyes scanned me. I felt like I was being prodded and examined from all angles and depths—all the way to my very soul; which I probably was, considering I had lost my immunity.

"You're terrified, aren't you?" she whispered.

I didn't answer. She knew and I wouldn't giving her the satisfaction of hearing me say it out loud.

Yelena came closer, dropping her bag or belongings. "There's nothing to be scared of," she reassured me.

"I highly doubt that. You did not lead the same life as I did. When my life ends, our judgment will not be the same," I replied stonily.

She peered up at me. "No. But you have done good. You're a good man, Valek. Everyone has made bad decisions in their life, but the important thing is our final decision, which side we chose to act on. You're a good man, Valek," she repeated.

"What happens in the Fire World, Yelena? Why are people sent there?" I asked. This was all so new to me. However, I could have asked at any time, I realized. Yelena had never barred herself from questions; Janco had had a similar discussion with her a couple years back. My love considered it her duty, as Soulfinder, to be available to all questions and to help people discover themselves.

The woman before me changed: She was no longer my love, she was the powerful Soulfinder. And in this scenario, I was the soul in need of guidance. She sat down in the bed and motioned for me to join her. I obeyed, not truly knowing what to expect.

"Why did you decide to become an assassin, Valek? What led you down that road in life?" the Soulfinder asked.

"I answered the question in Brazell's manor; to avenge my brothers,"

Yelena's lips quirked in amusement. "No. That's what you tell everyone around you—and try to convince yourself of. Now what's the real reason?"

"That _is _the real reason," I ground out. I was becoming agitated.

"What about Luna? This decision had absolutely nothing to do with her?" Yelena's eyebrows went up.

"How do you know about Luna?" I demanded. I had never told anyone about Luna. Ambrose knew about her, but he was the only one. Well, no… Actually, Prudence knew about her too. I wouldn't put it past her to tell Yelena about my previous relationship in order to drive a wedge between us. "Did Prudence tell you," I asked angrily.

"You are an open book to me, Valek. The moment I asked you the question, she popped up in your head. I don't know who she is, but it's obvious she played a significant role in the turns you took on life's path."

"She's nobody," I said too quickly, trying to keep memories from resurfacing.

"Did she leave you?" Yelena asked.

"No. I left her." My quick answer surprised me. I had spent a long time trying to convince myself that I hadn't left her, but protected her. Guess I was wrong.

"She was a lover?" My eyes widened. This was not a conversation I could have with Yelena—my current lover and soulmate. "Don't worry," Yelena reassured me. "I am not your lover right now. More like a guide—Story Weaver, if you will. I will not and cannot judge." I didn't answer.

"So, a lover then?" she asked again.

"Childhood sweetheart…" I trailed off. "Maybe a lover for some time," I admitted. "She was my best friend."

"And what does she have to do with your decision to become what you are today?"

"He was my first kill," I said quietly. I could remember still what it felt like to sneak into that cabin and kill the horrible man that had made Luna's young life a living hell.

"So it was for her, in the beginning." It was not a question. "You wanted to make her life better. And when Ambrose came along, you grasped at the opportunity. To both help her and avenge your brothers. You wanted to make Ixia a better place for her." She was quiet for a moment. I didn't dare interrupt her contemplative silence. Yelena had easily worked through my carefully spun web of lies with her soul-reading abilities. "You're a good man, Valek," she said finally. "Misunderstood, but good."

"Are you ready?" Leif suddenly appeared. I jumped.

"Yes." Yelena rose and picked up her bag. "Are you coming Valek?" she asked.

"Hmm…" I muttered thoughtfully, before realizing what she had said. "Oh, yes." We left the infirmary for the road.

.oO°°°Oo.

I thought of Yelena's—_no_—the Soulfinder's words. They tumbled through my mind, I couldn't get rid of them.

_You're a good man, Valek._

_Misunderstood, but good._

* * *

**How did you like it? Reviews are my drug *hint hint***

**Anyhoo... As soon as I'm done this story, I'll have a Hary Potter fic up. I also updated What teh King Does Not See a few days ago so go check that out. His Way (co-write with Harlequin) is on haitus-we actually don't know if we'll continue it.**

**Karl (:**


	41. Chapter 41

**Hey (: **

**It's been a while. I was too lazy to send this to a beta so you must excuse me if I have more errors than usual. **

**Here's chapter 41 (:**

* * *

CHAPTER 41

We arrived in the Plains after two weeks of silent and uneventful voyage. I didn't dare broach the subject of the afterlife with Leif there and Leif just spent his time trying to map out a way for us to get to the Avibian Plains safely. Yelena rarely spoke, if at all.

Now, we were at the border of the Plains. Yelena stood beside me, her head cocked to the side dreamily. She didn't look quite there. I was attempting to stop myself from thinking. It was working quite well and the tightness in my chest at the prospect of losing my soul mate was lessening slightly. Yelena did not seem bothered in the least by the idea of dying in next few hours. She just stood there, gazing into the distance with a blank look on her face.

"Say something," I begged her.

She snapped out of her trance. "What do you want me to stay?" she inquired.

I pulled her close. It was sudden, but she didn't resist, wrapping her arms around my waist. "I love you," I said into her hair.

"Mmm… she hummed softly into my shoulder. "I love you too."

I pulled her face up to mine and kissed her in a tentative way. It was the first—and possibly the last—kiss we shared since her return.

"How are you holding up?" I asked once she pulled away breathlessly.

"Better than you, I suppose." Yelena smiled.

"The Council will see you now," a young Sitian soldier interrupted us.

Yelena pulled away completely and guided me into the tent that had been set up for the Sitian Council.

"Soulfinder and liaison Zaltana," First Master Magician Bain Bloodgood said. "Back from the dead and headed straight back." He paused. "Some would consider it foolish to tempt death twice." He did not take into notice that she was here on orders.

"Some would consider it brave," Yelena replied. She rubbed soothing circles into the back of my hand. I was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Bravery in general is thought to be foolish," said a female councilor.

"Only to cover up the lack of strength of those who do not dare attempt it," Yelena's tongue was quick to answer.

"Are you calling me weak?" the Councilor demanded.

"No, I am merely pointing out from where the theory of foolishness took birth," my love responded.

Although it would be a lie to say that you are not," I said before the Councilor could speak any further.

"Excuse me?" she snapped.

"You're weak," I stated plainly.

"Shouldn't you be on the Ixian side," she asked, for lack of a better answer.

I smirked. "No. I do not work for the Ixian government any longer; therefore, I go as I please."

"Well, you are not welcome here."

"A lack of invitation on your part is to be expected. I daresay I am not very popular," I retorted.

The Councilor flushed in defeat. And took out her anger on Yelena, who stood silently by my side. "Get out! You have twelve hours to get out on the battlefield and ward them off. You hear me? Twelve hours!" She sank back into her chain, exhausted by her outburst. The others did nothing but nod in agreement as we exited.

Out of nowhere, two men rushed us, throwing Yelena to the ground. Ari and Janco. That was to be expected. A limit had just been set to her life. "Yelena," Janco breathed, enveloping her into his arms. His usual joking expression was gone—this was business.

"We heard about the new plan of action. Is it true?" Ari asked. His deep voice was troubled.

"Yes." They both looked at her in defeat. Yelena brightened. "Don't worry, though. When this is all over, we'll have a party of something. It'll all be fine," she reassured them.

Janco's face crumpled in pain. "Yelena, you do know what they're planning to do…" he asked.

Yelena nodded. "Oh yes. They're planning to sacrifice me," she said. "But don't worry. I'll be all right." She smiled at us. Then her face brightened suddenly. "In the meantime, Valek and I have good news."

"We do?" I asked, dumfounded.

"Yes, silly," she said cheekily and elbowed me in the ribs. "We're getting married." She took my hand into hers and smiled widely.

"In the next twelve hours?" I said dreamily, trying to picture our wedding here.

"No… We're getting married after this is all over. What is with you, Valek?" Yelena asked before skipping off to tell everyone the good news. I couldn't believe it. The shock had finally gotten to her—she had managed to convince herself that she was going to live.

The rest of the time Yelena had left was passed by following her around, praying to God that I would have the strength not to pop her bubble of happiness. The end came too quickly and my love looked out into the distance, onto the body-littered battlefield. I refused to look, knowing I would recognize many of the dead and it would break me down.

People had left us alone now, out of respect or fear I didn't know. I couldn't waste any more time. I turned to Yelena. "Please reconsider this?" I begged. I pulled her close and tucked her under my chin. Oh, how I wanted her to disappear into my soul so she could be safe.

I felt her lips on my collarbone. She hummed softly against my skin before whispering, "I'm sorry. I love you." Then she broke away and ran towards her doom.

.oO°°°Oo.

People fell into line right away when she came into sight. And then Yelena ruined everything our armies had worked for.

She turned to the enemy side and bellowed, "Hey Boss! Why don't you come out and fight me like a man? Since obviously you were scared to in camp?"

My heart thundered. For a moment, nothing happened. Then our magicians began to move. And weave what I predicted were null shields.

And something blasted at Yelena. She staggered back a couple of feet but did not fall. I felt the force of the attack more than ever. A wave seemed to pass through our formation. It was only years of training that allowed me to remain on my feet while other fell. Men and women followed my example of drawing a weapon.

"Is that all you've got?" Yelena's voice demanded. No response. I struggled through the crowd of people to get a good look at her. Recognizing me, people let me pass without question. "Really?" Yelena asked. "That was the best?" she snorted. The sound echoed through the air. 2Well, I'm disappointed—" She was cut off by a battle cry from the Blood Magicians' side. I watched helplessly as three of them ran out to meet her on the field. No one on our side moved, although I swore that I saw a couple of warriors twitch in longing to help.

She fought bravely, but she was outmatched. Several months of inactivity, and their weight was much more than hers. My soul died when the man's sword plunged into her stomach. "No," I whispered as she fell.

The guilty turned to us and smirked obviously at all of us. Pain and anger constricted my chest. My hands shook. I would avenge her. That was my vow. If it was the very last thing I did, I would avenge her; she will not have died in vain.

"Seems your best isn't as strong as you expected her to be," he bellowed.

"No," I yelled out unconsciously. The man was thrown back by an invisible force. People turned to stare at me. Especially magicians. I had done that. I had just blown my cover

"Valek, leave him," said a familiar voice. We all turned to stare in its direction in wonder. Yelena had risen. The sword was still in her torso, but it oozed a thick black substance instead of blood. The man gaped, frozen in place. I rejoiced. "He wants to play dirty?" She pulled the blade from her stomach with a sickening sound. The wound began to heal before my eyes. "I can play dirty," she said.

With an inhuman snarl, she whipped her head back. Fire travelled up her arms, spine and legs. I felt my eyes widen. What the hell was this? She crouched low in front of the Daviian. "Come here… I won't hurt you… Much." And she leapt at his throat. Fire consumed him. Yelena laughed. The sound was high pitch and I wasn't a hundred percent sure it was human. I was terrified when I suddenly understood. This was the Fire World. She was the Fire World.

And then the sky crashed into the earth. I blinked and, when I opened my eyes, I had gone blind. There were no more colors. The laughed echoed through the air again. I shivered in response.

* * *

**I am being flooded with school work so I apologize for the wait. :P But, on the bright side, I'm getting a week off! Yes. I have next week off. So hopefully, in between catching up on sleep and relaxing, I can get some writing in there.**

**Harlequin is finishing up a school project, but the alternate chapter is half done. She will have some time out soon and she'll finish it up then. I promise either one of us is going to notify you when it's done and posted on the blog!**

**Chances will also be done soon. Harlequin hasn't had any time, but Gwidlet and I have began writing chapter 5.**

**His Way has unfortunately been taken down... I'm sorry to that story's readers, but I didn't like it very much and it was kind of a burden.**

**The Monster in the Mirror is being worked on at the moment. The next chapter shouldn't take too long.**

**Dark Secrets... Is off hiatus! I've figured it out and I'll work on it during the week off.**

**Review please!**

**Karl (:**


	42. Chapter 42

**Welcome to chapter 42. We're at the climax of the plot. All there's left is the resolution-hopefully a 'And they lived happily ever after'.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

**CHAPTER 42**

All the camps were gone. The bodies were gone. All that was left was miles upon miles of grey landscape.

Where was I? No, where were _we_? The entire battalion seemed to be wondering the same thing. Sudden whispers made their way through the crowd. _"Shadow World."_

Ranks formed on the opposite side and I tightened my hold on my sword, feeling and memorizing the position of my other weapons on my body, I could see we were outnumbered two to one at least. Although with so many fallen, it wasn't that shocking.

"It's only fair," Yelena's voice rang out. And I then noticed the most peculiar thing. She was still colored. Her clothes and skin had not taken on a grey hue like the rest of us. But she started to speak again and I focused on her words, "You have the upper hand in numbers, so I shall have an advantage in territory."

My heart was racing; I only had eyes for Yelena. She had already fallen once and rose back to her feet unexplainably. I didn't know and didn't want to find out if she could do it again. When the order was given to move—finally—I wasted no time in joining Yelena at the front. I blocked a blow that would have probably taken her down, my sword extended over her. She scrambled out of the way as I engaged in a jest with the man. He fell rather quickly. _Too _quickly. There was some catch to this.

I turned back to where Yelena had been, but she has disappeared. Fighting off a couple more Daviians, I searched the landscape with my eyes. She was nowhere in sight until a column of flames burst up suddenly some distance from me. I had no doubt Yelena was at its source.

I rushed in that direction, pushing down Warpers as I went, helping people in defeating them. I that's what we were doing. We were fighting and winning. For the first time since the beginning of the war.

People around me laughed and smiled despite the bloodshed. They had something worth fighting for. Ixia and Sitia would be free. There was hope. Yelena had given them all hope.

When I finally reached Yelena, she was backing away from a Blood Magician. I paused for a beat, observing the scene. He was talking to her in a sickly-sweet voice. I couldn't discern was he was saying, but his tone made me realize that he must have been one of her tormentors back at the camp. Yelling at their side of the line must have taken Yelena more courage than could be imagined. I moved in on him from behind and thrust my sword through his body, twisting. Have a taste of your own medicine.

I caught Yelena's arm before she had a chance of escaping, but was soon forced to let go because there was no ignoring the battle going on around us.

As I fought, I yelled over to her, "Where are we? These aren't the Avibian Plains."

Yelena grinned in response. "Welcome to my world." She pushed the woman who had toppled onto her to the ground.

_"This_ is the Shadow World?" I asked. Yelena nodded in response and took on another opponent. "Rather bleak, if you ask me."

After that we were forced to quit our talk. There were at least four me and two—a man and a woman—cornered Yelena. We both moved away from them, until our backs touched. I was grateful for the contact, however brief it may be. It was soothing. I refused to think of death as I fought. I just did my best to protect myself, Yelena and others around us. I knew that men and women fell on both sides.

I suddenly found myself face to face with Yelena. Time seemed to pause for a moment whilst she stood on her tiptoes to kiss me. Perhaps it did. For when we separated, the world remained as it was, allowing us to catch our breath.

"This place is going to need a real clean-up when this is all over," Yelena threw at me over her shoulder.

"So you'll be away?" I asked. She nodded. "Have you decided on a date for the wedding yet?" I asked casually as I took a man's head off with a scimitar.

"I was thinking in the cooling season," she said. "The first or second week in."

"So in a month, then?" I inquired.

"About." She smiled. "Will that be enough time for you to get a proper ring?" she joked.

I laughed openly, getting odd glances from the people around me. "Heavens no!" I pretended to swoon, moving out of my opponent's way as I did so. "You'll have to wait until next year if you want me to find you the perfect ring," I joked.

"Well, in that case, screw the ring," Yelena laughed as well.

"Someone seems to be eager," I proposed suggestively. The enemy I faced fell.

"You caught me," she said, chuckling.

"Something strikes me, though," I changed the subject. I disarmed my opponent by rather brutally cutting his arm off.

"Oh," Yelena inquired. Her bow twirled through the air rapidly.

"There's no magic. Yet they're falling so quickly."

"Well…" Yelena grunted at her opponent's strength. I came to her aid and pierced his shoulder with my blade. "Only a magician whose original magic is very strong and is linked directly to the soul can use his or her power here. You have to find an alternative source of power. A large majority have no idea how to do so, or, if they are aware of that possibility, they aren't strong enough to put it to use." She gutted a man who stood in her way as she advanced through the cloak of bodies all around us. I followed promptly, watching her back.

.oO°°°Oo.

After several hours, my movements grew tired and jerky. My energy level was dangerously low for someone who needed to fight for their life and their country. I wasn't the only one with limbs weighing down because of fatigue. The only one who appeared to be unaffected by the passing time was Yelena. It probably had something to do with her Soulfinder magic.

I failed to block an attack and my adversary's sword cut a gash in my arm. I hissed and pulled back momentarily before countering with any and all fervor I had left.

Time stopped—I was sure of it this time. Yelena moved closer. She looked at me with sad eyes and took my face between her hands. Her touch seemed to pull my exhaustion to the front of my mind because it seeped into my bones and my knees gave out. I knelt in front of my love. "Rest," Yelena ordered me.

"What?" I croaked. My eyes opened. I hadn't even been aware I closed them.

"Rest," she repeated. "You will get hurt if you don't."

I chuckled weakly. "And how do you propose I do that, considering where we are?" Her cryptic notions were starting to grate on my nerves, tired as I was.

"I'm sending you back," she whispered quietly.

I didn't understand the full implication of her words until it was too late. "What?" I spluttered. "No!" Yelena was already fading away.

Something went wrong in the process. This wasn't the real world. Not unless the real world had spontaneously burst into flames. And then the unbearable pain started.

I screamed. A vision of myself killing and torturing Yelena unraveled before my eyes as the flames licked at me. 'No,' I tried to protest. The vision took over my senses. 'I deserve this. I killed her.'

I couldn't think of anything, but the vision, from then on. Like the ever-burning fire, it consumed me. I had murdered Yelena. I deserved this suffering. I was a killer. So many innocent men and women had lost their lives at my hands. When I looked down, blood dripped from my hands. The King's curse was finally in play. His blood and the blood of all my victims stained my hands.

_Escape, Loss, Misery._

Prudence was right. Her poem stated the truth.

I could see… My brother's faces, sneering at what I had become. My victims falling one by one. My mother.

A cold-blooded murderer. I had been for a long time. It used to haunt my every living hour, before I learned to push it to the back of my mind.

For a moment, my vision grew black. I screamed on. My only companion was the burning fire. I prayed for oblivion, but the fire would not release me.

"What is this?" I was finally able to let out. I knew the answer…

My final payment. The Fire World. Repentance.

* * *

**Has anyone else noticed that no one is updating? I can't say I am, but there used to an update every few days or so and now... Nothing. Nada. Zero. Goose eggs.**

**Review? I might be posting another chapter tomorrow... I'll see... I don't want to stay up to late, since it's almost 11 pm here.**

**I'll be taking a bunch of my stories down. I don't know which ones yet. I don't have time to write all this and, frankly, I want to focus more on developping my writing. Fanfiction will always be my release of book-endings-that-need-to-be-developped tension, but yeah.**

**Review please?**

**Karl (:**


	43. Chapter 43

**Hello to all of you reading this!**

**Sorry for the long wait... I could have posted this much sooner, but I've been so busy planning lately. And procrastinating in all matters homework and exams.**

***virtual screech* This story is coming to an end in a couple of chapters! You have no idea how much of a feeling of accomplishment that gives me. Two years and 43 chapters later, here we are. Less than half a dozen chapters away from the end.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 43**

Janco POV

I was on the ground, trying to regain my feet. I was dizzy and my vision spun. The newly-present colors burned my eyes. There were a couple moans from the wounded. Oh God. The wounded. The enemy. I forced my eyes to remain open so that I could look around. All the Blood Magicians lay dead. My head spun. I had to be imagining things. They couldn't all have dropped dead. Was I dead? Were we all dead? Was Yelena dead? My head pounded. I hoped not. Everything she had fought for finally seemed to be happening.

There was movement around me. People were beginning to stir. There was still so much to do. Fuck. Countries to rebuild. People to save. And all I wanted to do was lie here; rest.

A scream broke through the almost peaceful silence. My eyes shot open. That was Yelena's voice. "Valek!" she shrieked. I jerked into a sitting position. Head rush. I didn't even pause before I lurched to my feet and ran blindly in the direction of Yelena's voice. She was hysterical: screaming Valek's name over and over again.

Her eyes were wild as she bent over his lifeless body. Putting her hands to his neck, she seemed to be praying for a pulse. Whatever she found—or didn't find—caused a frenzy of motion as she tipped his head back, pinching his nose and began mouth to mouth reanimation. I was fairly certain she was pushing more than just air into his lungs.

Valek's lack of response grew apparent and Yelena's sobs became more panicked. "Valek!" she shook him. "Please… Wake up…"

Moments passed and no one dared move. Yelena was wracked with painful sobs and she lay her head down on his chest, probably forcing more magic into his system. "Don't die," she pleaded with him.

I moved up behind her and started to pull her away from Valek's still form. Yelena shrieked and fought my grip, but the obscene amount of magic she had used seemed to have taken toll on her, making her weak. "Yelena," I murmured softly into her ear. "Yelena, he isn't going to make it." I broke my heart to say it, but I had to tell her the truth. "Just let him be at peace."

She didn't seem to hear a single word I pronounced, thrashing with renewed force. People stared at the spectacle. My arms were burning all of a sudden. I yelped and let go of the Soulfinder. Her arms were on fire—like at the beginning of the battle. Paying no attention to me, she threw herself in Valek's direction. Her movements were jerky and desperate as she worked on his corpse.

Painful minutes passed…

Valek coughed. He jerked his head to the side and moved onto his knees, proceeding to puke his guts out. Yelena smiled, but the energy seemed to sap out of her all at once. She slumped against her lover, unconscious. Valek caught her weakly and lay back down on the ground, obviously trying not to vomit all over her.

It took maybe two seconds of that for people to rush into motion. Stretchers were brought into for the wounded all over the field and people were sent out to take note of the dead. Yelena was pulled onto a stretcher by two men and then a healer began to tow her away.

The Sitian forces, with the help of magic, had cleared away all of their men and supplies in under half an hour. It was only when they were gone that my own people began to truly move. Men were counted, orders were given and we were told to move out within the hour. Retinues were reassembled of the remaining soldiers and they began to move north right away. The wounded were to remain on spot until they could follow. I gave word that I would remain to be part of their escort group. Ari was still nowhere in sight and I hoped I would find him within that group.

.oO°°°Oo.

I stood over Ardenus Ixia several hours later. He had been killed by a sword through the heart. I was numb. Ari was gone. Maren stood beside me. I had never seen her cry before, but she sure was now. She didn't make any noise. The tears ran down her soot-covered cheeks without any restraint. She just stood there, unmoving. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Ari's pale face. It was splattered with blood. His lips seemed blue, deprived of a constant blood flow his heart had provided during his living.

I blinked back the stinging sensation in my eyes and glanced at Maren again. She hadn't moved. I swallowed and slowed my rapid blinking. A tear gathered in the corner of my eye. I tried to blink it away, but it slid down my cheek. I tried to swallow the solid ball in my throat. It didn't surprise me when I failed not only to do so, but to stop the flow of tears it produced.

Valek POV

Yelena had been taken away on stretchers and I felt as if my lungs wouldn't respond to my breathing. There was some sticky substance filling them. I expelled it slowly through my lips with every breath. It was an effort to accomplish just that, so I let my eyes slip close. My limbs felt like they were weighed down in syrup, the same one that currently coated my throat and airways, making it near impossible to breathe. I renewed my efforts to push the magic—wait. Magic. Magic was preventing me from breathing. It felt like thick syrup. I grinned weakly. I was immune to magic.

I don't know how or when or why it had happened. If Yelena was right, and immunities had to do with traumatic experiences, then I could safely assume that my trip to the Fire World was at the source of its return. Who cared anyways? It was back. That was the important thing.

I remained weak even after my labored breathing calmed. It was difficult to move and I didn't want to put any effort into it any more. I kept my eyes closed and tried to soothe my body into unconsciousness.

.oO°°°Oo.

Opal POV

Any and all attacks on the fugitive camps were ceasing. The bulk of the armies had apparently been defeated—or so I had heard.

I walked through the tent-filled streets of the town that had been harbored by refugees. Searching for the familiar fabric that had shielded me from the outside for the past months. It had been a good idea to help out in these areas. This was where the children were. This is where the future was. I ducked under the flap and found Brielle in the middle of the contents of my bag.

"Brielle," I snapped. She looked up from her activity. "I told you not to touch that."

She held up the last remaining glass messenger I had in my possession. "Why does it glow like that, aunt Opal?" she asked. "It looks like the fire we light up at night."

I hurried forward, snatching if from her hands. "It's to contact your mummy and daddy with, Brielle. You mustn't touch it." Brielle's eyes widened and she reached for it again, crying out.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked.

"I want to talk with them! I want to talk to Momma and Papa!" She shrieked, trying to grab at it.

I sighed, lifting her into my arms. "We're going to go and see them now, sweetheart. We'll go and see your mummy and daddy and you won't need this silly thing.

Yelena POV

I had been in the hospital for over a week already. I was well past bored, but I knew if I tried to leave then Valek and Janco would get angry. Janco. He hadn't smiled since he found out about Ari. The life seemed to have seeped out of him. Valek had found him holed up in his room, passed out and dangerously drunk. He hadn't been seen since Ari's death, but Valek had pulled him from his drunken stupor, forcing him to go to the hospital, and talk to one of Sitian head doctors. He visited me regularly, but I missed the mischievous twinkle in his eyes, and his bad jokes.

"Yelena..."

I glanced up at the sound of my name. The medic had come back without me realizing. She smiled at me.

"Your Valek asked me to to tell you that he was going to go and meet someone named Opal at the edge of the city. He says stay where you are, he'll be back with them both."

I didn't reply, and when I looked back she had vanished. Every worried thought I'd had for Janco had vanished, replaced with impenetrable joy. I could feel my face stretched into a grin; my cheeks ached. It had been much too long since I'd smiled.

I could feel the eyes of the other dubious patients on me, but I chose to ignore them. I didn't care.  
Valek was bringing our daughter home.

Valek POV

I had managed to drag Janco out with me to meet Opal and Brielle, knowing it would do him some good to get away from the bustle of the Citadel. We rode side by side, and I glanced at him occasionally to ensure he was okay. His face remained impassive and his eyes lacked any of the luster I was used to seeing. I cleared my throat.

"Janco. I think we need to talk."

I waited for his reply, watching him. He drew a breath and turned to look back at me, slowing his horse to a trot.

"Now, Sir?" Even his voice was stoic.

I nodded. "About Ari..." I began, but he interrupted me.

"He's dead, Sir. He died as a hero; as he would have wished. What is there to discuss?"

"How are you coping with his death?"

"As any other soldier would, Sir. I'm carrying on. I'm trying to forget." His voice broke on the last word, but he covered it up with a cough.

I wanted to say something. I wish I knew what. The silence between us stretched on, until we saw another horse riding towards us. I slowed to a stop, motioning for Janco to do the same.

Opal neared us, holding a sleeping body against hers with one arm and the reins of her horse with the other. I felt my eyes latch on to the little girl in her grip and I felt a weight I didn't know I had been carrying lift. Little Brielle was smiling in her sleep, her hands clutching Opal's robes. Her dark hair fell across her face, and she wrinkled her nose as it tickled her. I was a pity she didn't hold any resemblance to Yelena. She looked so at peace. It almost made it all worthwhile, seeing my daughter, safe.

Almost.

I dismounted, striding towards Opal and not even bothering to keep my smile from my face.

"Opal." I greeted her, nodding. She returned the greeting, before glancing at the sleeping child, hesitant.

"She only just fell asleep. She's been excited to see you and Yelena the whole journey. I couldn't calm her down. Be careful." She murmured, handing her to me. "Where is Yelena? I'd have thought she'd come to get Brielle too..."

"Hospital," I mumbled back, tucking my arms under Brielle and carrying her back to my horse. "I'll explain when we get back."

Janco had dismounted too, and he held his arms out towards her.

"Here, I'll hold her whilst you get back on."

I placed her in his arms carefully, muttering the same warning Opal had given me to him.

When I had mounted, I looked back down to see Janco watching the sleeping child with a faint smile on his face. The first smile I had seen on him in what seemed like ages. I didn't hesitate before asking the next question.

"Would you like to carry her back?"

Janco looked at me in surprise, and then back at Brielle, before shaking his head.

"It's best she stay with her Father."

I took her back, cradling her against my chest, knowing that Yelena would recover so much sooner when she had her daughter back.

.oO°°°Oo.

Yelena POV

I had been restless. More so than before. So much so that the nurses had threatened me with sedatives. In the end, they'd let me out to get some fresh air. I was pacing up and down the citadel streets when I realized that people were pushing one another out of the way and complaining in loud voices. I looked up to see three horses ride past, and I let out a cry of joy, pushing past the civilians to get to them.

Valek glanced down from his horse, surprise registering in his eyes when he saw me. "What are you doing out of the hospital, love?" His tone held nothing but amusement.

I pushed closer to see a dark haired figure in his arms. Her hair fell across her face, obscuring it from me, much like Valek's did. "They let me out- to get some air." I said, my eyes still fixed on my daughter.

I could feel Valek's eyes on me, and I looked up to see his blue eyes sparkling with happiness. I'm sure mine mirrored the expression. I doubt I had ever felt more a part of a family than that moment.

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter! Not many left after this one.**

**I've been looking back on this story and realized how much my writing evoloved throughout the entire ordeal. I can't help feeling a sentiment of pride. And, obviously, appreciation. For those who have stuck with me this long. I don't know how many Story Alerts and Favourites this has gotten. And not the mention the countless Author alerts I've been put on. I'm flattered.**

**I've currently begun working on an original piece. It's obviously in the initial stages, but I'll keep you posted on how that's going.**

**Thank you so much and please let me know what you think!**

**Karl (:**


	44. Chapter 44

**Hello to all!**

**Very long chapter (I know), but, hey, it's summer! I finally have time and my motivation to finish this thing has returned!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 44**

Our peace didn't last very long. Well, several months actually, but after so many long years of war, much more was needed. Yelena was in the hospital wing for very long. Although she had freedom of movement, her nightmares tended to cause violent fits.

Sedation was frequent. With Yelena sometimes spending days under, I was forced into single-parenthood. Obviously, I had offers from Opal and Mara's and Yelena's families to take care of my daughter, but I took the responsibility upon myself alone.

.oO° ° °Oo.

Mornings were the hardest time. I had no idea how Mara managed it. Five-year-old Brielle was up with the Sun, not allowing me anymore rest.

"Papa." A small hand tapped my face. I groaned and rolled over. "Papa, wake up," Brielle persisted.

"I don't want to," I complained.

Brielle giggled, "But you have to. I'm up."

"Go back to bed," I told her.

"Can I sleep with you?" she wondered aloud.

I hesitated. Was that all right? "Hold on. Let me just get a shirt," I finally decided. I was sleeping bare-chested and it didn't seem proper to have my daughter close to me when I was like that. I rolled out of bed with a groan and grabbed a tunic from the floor.

The warm bed was too tempting. I held the covers out for Brielle, who jumped in with a squeal and settled in the middle of the bed. I raised an eyebrow at her. "How about leaving some room for me, Brielle?"

She complied, but looked at me in confusion when I settled back into a seated position against the headboard. "Why do you call me Brielle? People call me Bree."

"Because your name is beautiful. I picked it out myself."

"Why?" she leaned against me.

"Shh…" I settled back into the covers. "Go back to sleep now," I told her. "I'll explain at breakfast."

I inched back under the covers, fully expecting her to just lie down next to me and tumble around for a couple minutes before I was forced to bring her downstairs for breakfast. To my surprise, she squirmed under my arm, and curled into my side. I opened my eyes and found her staring up at me. Her eyes were so much like my own that it scared me.

"Do you love me, Papa?" she asked.

I chocked on my words and they spluttered out of my mouth. "Brielle, I love you. How…? How could you _ever_ doubt that?"

She blinked and then looked away. "Uncle Leif says you don't have time for me."

I sighed and settled down with her close. "Baby, it was war. I love you. Your mother loves you. And once this is all over, I promise you, we'll be a family. Just like your aunt Opal, uncle Devlen and their kids."

"Aunty Opal's kids?" she asked in wonder. She had met them, but was always happy you hear stories about her extended family.

I smiled, happy to finally be off subject and rattled on about Reema and Teegan until breakfast came around.

Breakfast was an odd affair. We had to use the public cafeteria and people weren't at all conspicuous in their gaping. Brielle was very obviously uncomfortable, trying to hide from the prying eyes behind my legs. People were downright rude—some even making full turns around me and prodding at my daughter to get a good look at her. For those and other reasons, I made sure to keep her at proximity, always within arm's reach or, when possible, to have a hand on her. The poking may not have bothered me, but it was horrible for Brielle to have to suffer through it.

I finally managed to get a full breakfast for the both of us and, balancing the tray on one arm, I used the other one to guide Brielle to a table in the back. There was a window, but the sun outside was too bright for us to be seen outside. The placement was convenient, being in a corner, because it obscured us from view from two sides. We were soon joined by Opal, Devlen, Teegan—now eighteen years old—and Reema—sixteen. Both of the couple's adoptive children had been sent away for the war, despite their strong magic. They had worked within the refugee camps instead of on the battlefield.

Teegan hid in his hair, as usual, and Reema chatted up with her mother, father and myself, as well as trying to make conversation with my little one. Her white blond hair had been pulled up and twisted on top of her head, tendrils falling out as she laughed at something Brielle had told her. She was a beauty and it made me wonder what Brielle would look like when she was older. I wasn't even trying to follow the conversation; I was too busy glaring at an on-looking eavesdropper.

Opal stirred me from my trance, "Valek, you have to let it go. They're going to stare no matter what you do. More even once Yelena and you put wedding bands on your fingers."

I sighed and reluctantly looked away. "They bother me because they're bothering Brielle."

My daughter looked up at the mention of her name. "Papa?"

"Hmm…" I inquired non-responsively.

"Can me and Reema go outside later?"

"'Reema and I'," I corrected her absentmindedly. "'Me and Reema' is incorrect."

"Can Reema and I go outside later?" Brielle asked again.

"I'd prefer if I went with you," I told her truthfully. I was planning on seeing Yelena in the afternoon, but I accepted to alter my plans to fulfill my daughter's wishes, while they were within reason.

Devlen, who had been watching my carefully, spoke up at this, "We'll accompany her. You go see your Yelena. You need to watch over her."

I offered him a small smile of gratitude and pushed my plate away from myself. Bending over the table to press my lips briefly to Brielle's forehead, I reminded her to put a sweater on to go outside and slinked off en route to the infirmary.

.oO° ° °Oo.

Yelena laid weakly back on her pillows. She was recovering from the exceptionally strong sedative the medical staff had administered a few days back. She smiled a little when she saw me come through the door, stretching the scars that marred the right side of her face. I felt all the more guilty for it.

I moved in to kiss her, but made sure to turn her head to the side ever-so-slightly so that I could pay my respects to her healed wounds before I touched my lips to hers.

"I'm sorry," I told her all the while taking a seat at her bedside.

"I love you," she murmured.

I grinned at her. "I love you too. Feeling any better?"

Yelena sighed. "A little. My head feels like it's been stuffed with wool and my mouth like it's been coated with sandpaper. I'm starving and I really want to move out of this stiff bed and back into my room."

Chuckling at her elaborate response, I answered, "I can fix that." I called for breakfast and helped Yelena into a sitting position, offering her more pillows. "I'll try and negotiate something about your stay in the hospital. It really has been dragging. I think it's time you came home."

Yelena looked at me sadly. "They'll hand you a bunch meds and you'll have to deal with all my problems."

"Better your problems than mine, love."

"Oh you have problems?" she teased.

"Well… I have several marriage-related errands to run, angry political leaders to deal with, five-year-old early-risers to run after, you know, the works," I chuckled.

"Brielle gets up earlier than you do?" Yelena asked incredulously.

"Amazing isn't it?" I laughed. "She's in my room before the sun gets up and it's all she can do, lest she explode from all the energy." I sobered a little when I saw Yelena's loving expression. I could tell she wanted to be at home with Brielle. "I'll bring her to visit after dinner. She wanted to go outside today—it's nice out so I let Opal and Devlen go with her."

"How about I go to visit her?" Yelena asked.

.oO° ° °Oo.

Later that day, Yelena sat in an overstuffed armchair in the room Brielle and I had occupied for the past couple months. She looked content to be back with her family, but her features were tired.

We were waiting for Reema to bring Brielle back. There was a knock on the door and I went to open it. Both Reema and Brielle had been giggling at something, but the sight of Yelena silenced the older girl.

"Yelena," she said. "You're back."

Yelena nodded and smiled a little. Brielle's response was immediate. She launched herself at her mother with a shout. My love winced as she caught the little girl, but happiness radiated from her.

Reema backed out slowly, smiling. I locked the door and then came over to see my girls. Kneeling in front of the armchair, I joined their embrace.

Yelena's happiness didn't last long. Her fist night in our temporary home was plagued with nightmares and I spent the entire night on my feet, shushing her and urging our daughter to sleep, despite her mother's distress.

The next day, the first official after-war meeting was adjourned and several accusations attacked Yelena and myself. Some proposed to have Yelena on permanent lock-down. Their argument: she was mentally unstable and, therefore, they couldn't predict how and for what purposes she would use her magic. As for me… They just wanted me behind bars, and with my loss of position within the Ixian government, I was on my own. The authorities had no repercussions to fear, but those I could impose myself should I escape. Of course, my escape wasn't in their plans. A hanging was—for crimes against humanity and magicians.

Ambrose didn't say a word to offer to put in any good word for me and any other word was considered invalid in court because of any personal link they may have to me.

Yelena's fate was undecided, but she was to be incarcerated until further notice. It was inconceivable that no one stood up for her. She had saved all their lives, yet they treated her like an outcast. I frowned, but didn't move from my seat. There were no actions taken against my fiancé yet, so I waited. My testimony had yet to be heard and I intended to give them something to think about. Leif would be the one asking the questions and, although he had promised me his sister, I wouldn't be in much of a bargaining position if I winded up in jail.

Two guards stood by my sides, but I hadn't an idea of what they planned to do if I drew my sword. Yelena was sitting stiffly a few seats down. There were unknown people around her and, with the meds she had been fed recently, it wasn't the Council's best idea.

She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. I gave her a tight smile before going back to staring at the front of the room. I was waiting for my turn. All important people were being questioned in front of the Council. The ones with magic under Criollo (Theobroma), those without were being examined by a magician and, as for Opal and myself, the method hadn't been decided yet.

It was about to begin. Bain Bloodgood, First Magician came through the doors.

"Yelena Liana Zaltana," Yelena stood tersely. "Please come forth and take place in front of the Council." She walked to the front and someone came forth with a small drop of Criollo on a platter. It was held out to her and she placed it under her tongue with a shaking hand before folding herself into the seat provided.

There were a couple minutes of waiting to do while her body absorbed the substance. Then, one of the magicians on the sidelines gave the all-clear signal.

"Please state your full name, age and nationality," a woman asked tightly.

"My name is Yelena Liana Zaltana and I am thirty-one years old. I was born in Sitia, but was removed from my home when I was six. I was raised in Ixia. I returned to Sitia at the age of twenty."

The sound of a quill on paper could be heard as someone finished documenting her words and magicians around the room added details divulged from her mind.

"Do you identify yourself to be Ixian or Sitian?"

Yelena bit her lip. "I have always thought of myself as a middle person between the two countries. Recent events have changed my perspective. Although I have long fought to change laws between men and women, mot much has come of it." This was a new revelation. I hadn't known Yelena had worked on that cause. "The father of my child is Ixian and, so, my child is Ixian. I have come to identify myself by that as well."

Pens scratched furiously. My eyes were wide. Yelena was Ixian—or at least thought of herself in that way.

"Going back to your name. I have note here that, when asked your name, your thoughts went to 'Yelena Icefaren Ixia'. Would you care to elaborate?" My eyebrows went up at the woman's statement. Yelena thought of herself as mine already, before marriage. I couldn't help the small smile my lips gave.

Yelena blushed and looked down before answering. "My current romantic status is promised. Liana Zaltana are my current names. They will become my maiden names when I take on my husband's: Icefaren Ixia."

"So you will become?"

"Mrs. Valek Icefaren Ixia." Yelena didn't skip a beat.

"Your daughter will carry those names as well?"

Yelena frowned. "Yes. Although, I cannot fathom how discussion of my daughter is crucial to this questioning."

"Very well." The woman's mood had soured. She had clearly enjoyed being inside Yelena's head. "That will be all for the basics. We will be moving on now. Miss Zaltana, can you explain to me how the Vermin proceeded to your capture?"

Yelena's head snapped up. "Are you implying I cooperated with them?" she asked.

"Answer the question, please."

Yelena glared at the woman I couldn't see. "All right. I was coming back from a reconnaissance mission with my fiancé up north. I crossed the border and walked straight into an ambush. I was outnumbered and overpowered. There was a null shield around me in less than thirty seconds. I tried to fight, but there were so many people…" Yelena closed her eyes for a brief moment. "They took all my possessions and dragged me off."

Magicians around her hung into her every word, most likely seeing what she had experiences through her mind. I could see many people sketching what they saw. I would have to take a look at those drawings later on.

"Any details to add on the subject?" she asked Yelena again.

Yelena's jaw tensed. "Not verbally. You have extracted all the details you may need and more from my thoughts already."

"Very well. Tell us about your time with the Warpers."

Yelena went pale. She struggled to get the next words out, "I… I don't feel comfortable t-talking about that. I… You… You can read… You can read my m-mind." She swallowed painfully. I felt horrible just sitting here and watching. I looked around at the magician's reactions. Several of them looked like they were about to be physically sick, but continued to sketch and take notes on the pads in front of them. They worked for several long minutes. Now I really needed to see those pads. "N-next question please," Yelena asked. Her voice had steadied a little.

The woman didn't answer right away and I heard the rustling of paper. She was looking at the information they had gathered. She seemed to take a breath before speaking. "That will be all for now, Miss Zaltana. You are free to take your seat. The theobroma will wear off within the hour." The woman took a short pause, gathering her papers before calling out the next name—Opal.

Yelena stepped off the podium and stood disoriented for a moment. I tried to make eye contact. She didn't look at me. A healer came through the people crowding around the room and he took her arm for support. He asked her something in a low voice and Yelena nodded a little. She looked up and her eyes searched the room. When they met mine, I urged her to come and sit with me. My fiancée bit her lip before turning to the male healer by her side. She whispered to him softly. He looked up and led her towards me. My guards stood in their way, but he stood tall and glared at them.

"My patient will be seated with her beau now."

"Our prisoner is not allowed any visitors," one of them growled.

"Miss Zaltana is a not a visitor. This is part of her treatment. Step aside."

They glared at each other for several more beats before the guards moved to the side reluctantly. Yelena passed them and came to curl into me on the bench. I wrapped an arm around. She curled up, not speaking, not crying—not making a noise. Her head was tucked underneath my chin, her face in the crook of my neck. I rubbed her arm absentmindedly as I turned my attention back to the trial.

Opal sat in the chair Yelena had occupied moments ago while the Council was in debate. What method would they use to assure truth from her? All those who could be questioned using magic had already gone through the system. Opal and I were left for the end, resistant to magic.

I sighed and sat back into my chair. I had a feeling this debate would take a while. Yelena squirmed beside me. "Do you want to go back to the room? I don't think I'll be interrogated today. They have to figure out an insurance to get the truth."

I went to rise, but one of the guards stuck his arm out in front of me. I sighed in annoyance. "Seriously? They're not even going to question me! They don't even know how, for God's sake!"

He stood motionless for a couple of seconds, engaged eye-contact with his partner and then pulled back his arm. I got up and, wrapping an arm around Yelena's waist, moved to the exit. Both guards followed me.

In front of our room, I paused and turned on the guards, "You will not come into the room. I don't care if you want to stand outside the door for days, the room will remain our private residence."

"I'm afraid that's not an option," the man answered. "Our orders are to keep you under constant supervision."

"I'm going to be right on the other side of this door. I'm not going anywhere. My daughter and fiancée will be not be moving anytime soon and I'll be staying with them."

He stared at me for a while. His companion nodded once and then they both took up a position in front of our doors.

.oO° ° °Oo.

The guards remained by my side for the couple of days it took the Council to find a solution that satisfied them. They were going to threaten our loved ones. Typical.

Opal was brought up to the podium for her turn. It went fairly quickly, seeing as she was Sitian and, although she had a couple minor infractions with her Ixian friends, all her intentions had always been for the good of her country.

My questioning, I had a feeling, was going to be a throughout examination. I was going to be brought out and every single facet of me was going to be searched. And, the worst part was, I was going to answer all the questions. It was Brielle's life on the line.

Someone was going to dies for that—putting my daughter's life into play just so that they could get something out of me.

"Please state your full name, age and nationality to the Council."

"Valek Icefaren Ixia, forty-three years old, Ixian," I clipped. I spoke quickly, keeping my eyes on the magician focused on my daughter.

"You were involved in one other war before this one: the Ixian Takeover. What was your role during that last battle?" the woman asked.

I thought briefly before answering, "I was in charge of ridding the King of his supporters."

"And what did this 'ridding' consist of?"

"I killed them."

"How many people did you 'get rid of' in total during that time and the regime that followed?"

"Four-hundred-seventy-two." There was a cumulative gasp.

"Does that number include the people who were murdered outside of your orders from Commander Ambrose?"

"No."

"How many people does that number consist of up to this date?"

"One-hundred-thirteen." Another gasp.

"So, the total of people you have murdered would come up to…"

"Five-hundred-eighty-five."

"Does that include persons who were killed in battle at your side, under your orders or who you fought with to protect yourself?"

"Yes." I could see it in their eyes. I reeked of blood. My hands were eternally soaked with it.

The woman took a deep breath before speaking again, "How many Sitians are a part of that number?"

I thought for a bit. It was a compulsion of mine to keep count of all this—the number I had given even included the people who had just died in the final battle that had just taken place. I don't know why I did it; it just incriminated me more, but I had to. "Are Sitian refugees come to Ixia or Ixian magician to be counted?" I finally asked.

The woman looked at someone on the side of the room. They gave a slight nod. "Yes."

"Three-hundred-one."

The quills around the room stopped writing for a moment as they took in that information. I was, after all, responsible for the deaths of over three-hundred of their citizens. "Are you responsible for the murder of Cahil Ixia?"

I was taken aback. Cahil was dead? What? When? How? I kept my face carefully emotionless as I answered. "No."

"Mr. Icefaren, are you aware that any lie could be fatal to your daughter?" The woman's face was pinched.

"I'm not lying. I had no idea Cahil was no longer alive."

"Really? That's interesting, considering the weapon that was found at his side… A knife."

"Many people use knives. I don't understand how one could incriminate me, personally."

"A person in your line of business is known for using a knife, yes. The circumstances of the murder were what suggested you were to blame."

"And those consisted of…" I demanded, my voice not at all gentle.

"No matter, you remain one of prime convicts."

"You can't do that!" I stood from my seat. Brielle let out a small whimper. I remained on my feet, but as it turned to a cry, I sat, trembling. "You have no evidence and, I can assure that any clues you find will not lead back to me."

"Moving on, Mr. Icefaren. After the takeover, you were declared the assassin that put an end to the royal family. Apart from your Commander's orders, were there any personal motives leading up to that action?"

I glared at her before answering. "I do not see how this is relevant to this investigation."

Brielle whimpered again and I could see Yelena struggling to get to her from the corner of my eye. "Mr. Icefaren, I assure you, it is very much relevant," the woman said with a cold smile. Brielle started to cry.

I glanced at her, trying to soothe with my gaze, knowing that any action on my part would cause her even more pain. "That will not be necessary. I am not concealing anything, I am merely asking a question," my voice sounded strained.

The woman made a cutting motion with her hand and Brielle relaxed in her seat. "Very well, you're right. This is necessary to the investigation so that your character can be more thoroughly examined for further use."

"Very well," I mimicked her speech. "I killed the King because he put my loved ones in danger to get what he wanted." Quills stopped scratching one by one as people made the connection between the current situation and my motive for killing the King. It wasn't even a lie.

Brielle let out a scream of pain and I could no longer restrain myself. I rose out of my seat and went into action, pinning the questioner to the ground. She struggled, but, with a knife to her throat, there wasn't much she or anyone else could do.

.oO° ° °Oo.

I spent the rest of the day in a prison cell. Punching the wall, I cursed my stupid, _stupid_, behavior. Why did I have to be so damned idiotic? Why couldn't I just remain diplomatic like Yelena had? They had delved through her thoughts and she had kept a cool façade. I couldn't even answer a couple questions.

She had come to visit me, held my hand through the bars until her fifteen minutes visitation time was up. Brielle has pecked my cheek softly through them and smiled whilst chatting about her day with Opal. Now that I was in custody, Yelena had to return to the hospital. Damn it.

Night came and I sat with my back against the wall. I tried to sleep, but it just wouldn't come. I think I freaked the guards out some when they peered in between the bars in the wee hours of the morning and saw me glaring angrily at them. Good. Served them right for bothering me.

.oO° ° °Oo.

Notice was sent out to the Commander and, upon receiving no protest, my execution was scheduled for dawn in three days. Three-hundred-and-one lives for mine.

Yelena was obviously told my fate because, when she came to visit me until the day before, her face was tense and sad. Brielle clung to her hand, running to me as soon as I came into view. I meant to act aloof in front of the Council member watching on, but I couldn't bring myself to refuse my daughter anything. When she beckoned me closer, I did so without hesitation.

"I love you, Papa," she whispered softly in my ear.

I almost broke down right then and there. "I love you too, baby."

"When are you going to come home?" she asked. "Aunty Opal and Mamma say you won't be home for a long time, but that they'll take care of me. But I don't want to have any more families. I liked Angie and Aunty Mara and Uncle Leif and I like Aunty Opal and Uncle Devlen and Reema and Teegan. But I like my family the best. My Papa and my Mamma."

I was speechless. The Council member stared at us. I felt self-conscious. How could I explain to my five-year-old that I would most likely never see her again? Yelena was looking at me, heartbroken.

"I… I have to go somewhere, Brielle," I said carefully, glancing up at Yelena for approval. She had tears in her eyes. "I won't be seeing you for a while, that's true… But I'll be with you all the time…" Yelena choked back a silent sob in my peripheral view. I needed to comfort her, but I couldn't break Brielle's heart. She had to believe everything would be all right. "They'll make a little place where you can come visit me once I leave," I said, keeping my voice even. Talking about my own grave to my daughter was… indescribable. "It'll have my name and you'll come talk to me whenever you want."

"You'll talk to me too, right? You'll tell me everything you do when you're away?" Brielle asked. The Council member pursed his lips.

I took a deep breath before speaking carefully, "No… It'll just be you talking… But I'll listen," I struggled to reassure her. I hoped I _would_ be able to listen, wherever I ended up.

Brielle frowned. "But, if I'm visiting you, then I'll see you…" she seemed confused.

"No… I'll be… away. You'll be visiting a part of me."

Brielle didn't seem satisfied with my answer, but she accepted it finally. "I hope you don't have to stay away too long, Papa," she finally said. She patted my cheek and touched her lips to my forehead briefly.

She was about to run off, but I caught her arm. "Hug?" I asked. She smiled at me and threaded her skinny arms through the cell's bars. I did the same and pulled her to my kneeling self as best as I could.

Devlen appeared at the door and I let go of Brielle with difficulty and prompted her in his direction. As she ran off, I stood to face my fiancée.

She turned to the man from the Council. "Could we have just five minute of privacy?" she asked in a small voice.

He looked at her suspiciously, although what she could be hiding under her hospital gown, I didn't know. His lips pressed into a line as he considered her request. "Five minutes. There are guards at any possible exit to this prison." Then he turned on his heel and left.

She flew into my arm through the bars. Her breathing was labored. "Did you know that it was you that kept me going when I was captive?" she asked. "I had your shirt. Your smell was my escape."

"You can keep all my shirts," I promised. "And pants, even my undergarments. I won't be needing those anymore. Hell, you can wear any my clothes everyday if you want. You can walk around in my sneak suit."

Yelena chuckled, but choked on tears. "You have to escape." She clung to my prison outfit. "You just have to. I can't be a mother on my own… I can't be alone. You can't leave me. We're supposed to get married." Her grip tightened.

"You'll be a wonderful mother," I said, kissing the top of her head. "You can marry Janco," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "You won't be alone, you'll have everyone else. I'm sure even Leif will warm up to you once I'm gone."

"Please stay…"

"I love you," I told her.

"Can we run away, Valek?" she asked softly, looking up at me.

"Sure. Where to, love?" I moved my fingers up and down her spine.

"Away from here. Anywhere but here."

I sighed. "Get some sleep tonight, love. Come see me tomorrow. I'll look for you in the crowd." She sobbed. I tensed my jaw, knowing well that I may break down as well if I thought about it too much. "You told me yourself not be afraid—that what awaits me on the other isn't bad, Yelena," I reminded her.

"It's not the other side that scares me, it's this one."

"You'll have something to look forward to. I'll give you a warm welcome when we meet again," I joked.

"Stay," she begged, her hands in my hair. Our noses touched as I stared into her eyes. Our breaths mingled and I pulled her face to mine.

I was faintly aware of the Council member coming back in, but that didn't matter as I molded my lips to Yelena's. The salt water from her tears mixed in with our kiss, giving it a bittersweet taste. I cupped her face in my hands for as long as I could.

She had pulled away for a mere second to catch her breath when the intruder pulled her away. I controlled my features while Yelena struggled with the guard who pulled her away.

"Come on, Yelena, you wouldn't want to end up under sedation again. One more slip-up and you're in the clinic for good. You wouldn't want to leave that poor little girl completely orphaned, would you? Poor little thing, losing her father already," he spoke to her quietly. I squinted in concentration; there was something familiar about his tone, about his voice.

I didn't put two and two together until he began to help my fiancée up the stairs. His grip was far too gentle for someone of his status and he guided her in a way that only someone who cared would.

I refrained from grinning at the familiarity of his stride.

* * *

**I hope you love reading my stuff as much as I loved working on it. I've been debating re-working some of this story, because I dislike quite a lot of it, but decided against it. It's my first story and, someday, I'm going to look back on it and see how much I improved throughout it. Of course, I still suck at many aspects, but, you know what? That's okay. I have my whole life ahead of me to perfect it.**

******I have noticed that this fanfiction community has died down, but I would love to get some feedback on some of my ending chapters. There are just two more and the epilogue left after this one!**

**Reviews, please!**

**Karl (:**


	45. Chapter 45

**I'm back!**

**Please don't kill me for waiting so long with the update. I was going through a huge dry spell (not like that you dirty minded freaks!). My inspiration and motivation to write and read literally left me after my last chapter. I spent the summer moping around and generally not doing anything productive.**

**Enjoy this chapter and I'll have more news at the end of it (:**

* * *

**CHAPTER 45**

My prison cell was exceptionally dark that night. Not only was it a new moon, but a storm raged outside. I had been tossed a ratty quilt and a thin straw mattress by one of the guard and a hot bowl of soup had been given to me on account of it being _my last day_. I accepted them with grace and spread out to sleep.

I would need my sleep if I wanted to attempt any sort of escape tomorrow. Now, knowing I had substantial help from the outside, I allowed myself to be consumed by my reasoning. Yelena and Brielle needed me more than ever in this aftermath.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep more quickly than I would have thought possible on the night before my execution. I guess last night had caught up to me. _Besides,_ I thought as I sunk into unconsciousness, _it would do me good to be rested even if I die._

.oO° ° °Oo.

Morning was upon me much too quickly. I groaned uncomfortably at the loud banging on the cell bars, but pulled myself into a sitting position. I needed to get ready. I didn't know what I could possibly do other than put myself into a prepared frame of mind. Anything could happen. I could just as well make a slippery escape as end up a hanging, limp corpse at the end of a coil of rope. I would have to put my full faith into the people on the sidelines.

When the soldiers came in to manacle me, I surrendered willingly. I turned my back and allowed them to tie my wrists together. There was a short wait at the threshold of the courtyard while the announcements were made. There was a considerable amount of people in place. Looks like I hadn't lost my reputation after all.

The man who had led Yelena out the day before stood behind me. I was certain to a ninety-nine percent degree of his identity. I couldn't allow all my hopes to go for the bait until something happened, however.

As he guided me onto the stockade, I had almost lost hope. I searched the crowd for Yelena. She was in the first lines, her eyes red and puffy. Janco had an arm around her shoulders protectively, but I noted the way he held himself. His eyebrows were furrowed and his sword was hanging at his side. Scanning the crowd, I found several men like him. Blending in with their surroundings, but armed and strategically placed. I bit the inside of my cheek. I was usually very good at concealing emotion, but it wasn't every day that I was given the chance to escape the noose.

I stepped under the rope. The crowd was silent, but my steps concealed the snick of the switchblade used to cut my hands free. The soldier still stood behind me, 'securing' me. I swallowed.

The rope was placed around my neck while a knife was handed to me from the back. Yelena had a hand over her mouth to keep her crying quiet. I winked at her and lunged.

My hands clutched the rope above my head and I swung my legs up. The screams started when Janco and two dozen of my corps unsheathed their weapons within the crowd.

My neck was freed when I climbed on top of the wooden support that was supposed to be my end. I scanned the scenery for possible exits while the soldier who had helped me out battled with a magician. He grinned at me and I couldn't help but grin back. No matter the nasty things we had said to each other, how many times one had seemingly forgotten the other, he was my brother and that's where it ended. I had been though too much with Ambrose for him to simply abandon me in the end. I would have done the same. He threw me the sword of a discarded man.

"It's when you pull off stunts like that, I wonder how in the world I ever could have won a knife fight against you," he yelled.

I laughed and stood on the stockade, having spotted my next destination. I couldn't stay up here for long; I was making myself a target as it was. Jumping into the crowd, I landed in a crouched position, catching myself with my hands.

Someone was making a grab for Yelena beside me, but I spun her away, replacing the space she had been with the end of my sword. The person impaled themself and I winced at the crunch and grind his bones made against my blade. Pulling my fiancé against my body, I kissed her. In the middle of a battle, while a man was on the end of my blade, it was all very melodramatic. The heroine of the story making out with her rugged lover: a scene from a trashy romance.

I pulled back and leaned in close, "I know this will make it all the more theatrical, but I recall your request to run away…"

"Brielle is already on her way to the homestead. Let's go. We'll mail the wedding invitations."

And just like that, we were off. Yelena wasn't armed, but her Fire-Worldly magic was more than enough to keep everyone at a five foot distance. I just hacked away at anyone who dared come any closer.

.oO° ° °Oo.

The wedding planning was both joyous and incredibly sad. Yelena's mother was gone. She had passed naturally—thank fate, but still she was gone.

Yelena's panics were usually reserved for the night, but the news brought one on. Her family watched with wide and terrified eyes as I reasoned with a madwoman before finally lifting her into my arms and following Yelena's father to a room he had set up for her. I sat with her late into the night, listening to her babbling about her mother, family and some nonsense about the Shadow World.

It was only when Brielle was brought along the next morning that she started to think again. Her grief was great and, for once, I understood it, having gone through the same thing when my own mother died.

.oO° ° °Oo.

There were no real fireworks in the wedding celebrations. A local minister was called on and the vows were short and basic. I could remember saying the traditional "I do" and receiving the same response from Yelena. Then there was the kiss and the whole affair shifted into the after party as Yelena changed from her white wedding gown to a lighter dress with a red color.

I barely saw her after that, as she flitted from guest to guest, hosting, making a good impression, remaining calm as people gawked and stared at her scars, answering and asking question after question. All the while keeping an eye on our daughter, who played with the younger guests and was admired by the ladies that had come to the ceremony. I don't know how she did it. I had receded into a corner and hid from the world. This was not my game board of choice. Too many players and all out in the open.

Three-hundred-one was the number of people at our wedding. Three-hundred had been the original number, but, after much snooping and in spite of me, Yelena had tracked down Luna.

And so, I now not only stood awkwardly on the side as people celebrated, I was also dodging every single one of Luna's attempts to find me in the crowd. I had succeeded thus far, but I didn't think I'd be able to for much longer. There she was again, heading towards me, making her way through the throng of people in her way. I slipped to the side and escaped to the other side of the room, watching from my new location as she looked around confused and frustrated.

Yelena was there suddenly, holding her hands and frowning at me from across the room. She warned me to stay put as both women made towards me. I was sweating in the stupid dress-suit I wore. I tugged at the collar uncomfortably, wishing I could sneak off to sit under the stars. However, I didn't even have the time to think about that.

Yelena had guided Luna right in front of me. She now stood a mere three feet from my stiff body. I wasn't even sure I was blinking. She should hate me. I left her, broken her heart and trampled it. And yet, here she stood with a smile.

"It's been too long, Valek," she said. I didn't answer. I swallowed. I was certain she could see my Adam's apple bob. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

There was a long pause and I knew she wouldn't speak until I did. "Umm… Hello…" I finally mustered.

"You've been avoiding me," Luna told me.

"Guilty as charged," I chuckled weakly.

The silence grew long and tense before she finally said anything. "I'm not mad at you, you know…"

"You should be."

"And who are you to be the judge of that? You're happy. I'm happy. Where is there room for anger?" Classic Luna, seeing the best in every situation.

"During the transition," I reminded her.

"That's in the past. No use dragging it along."

"But you _were _angry at me," I stated.

"For a time… I grew up, Valek. You grew up. It's time we get over it all," she moved closer to me.

"I'm married," I said without thinking. It wasn't a response to her movement. It was just a sudden revelation. Luna was nothing. Well a friend. Like Opal. I used to be so afraid of how I would react if I ever saw her again; and here I was understanding everything.

"Why do you assume this is about you?" she asked angrily. "Those feelings are gone on my side. If you have to remind yourself of that, then maybe you should ask yourself where yours have gotten." She turned to go, but I grabbed her arm.

"It's not about me. I just… I understand now." I smiled at her.

She was quiet, observing me. "Let's start over then, shall we? Hi, I'm Luna."

"I know. I know you're Luna. And I want to thank you. For being the reason my life happened the way it did. For if it hadn't, we wouldn't be standing here today. And I wouldn't have all the blessings I do and you… you wouldn't have the life you have now. Thank you. Truly."

Luna's eyebrows went up. Then she smiled. "I hope it stays that way. For now, I think I'll stay in the Shadow." There was something about the way she said shadow that made it seem like a place rather than the simple noun it was. "After all, I've only come out because your lovely fiancée granted me that favor. Have a good life, Valek." And she turned and went before I could say anything else.

I didn't see her again after that. It was only late into the night when Yelena and I were already en route to our honeymoon destination that I realized what exactly had gone down.

Luna was no more. It was all Yelena's doing. Yelena had brought Luna back out of the Shadow World or wherever she had been so that I could say goodbye. So that I could close I case that had been bothering me. That was why no one had ever stopped to help Luna find me in the room. My breath puffed out of my chest.

I turned to my wife who rode on Kiki beside me. "What happened to her?" I asked.

Yelena smiled mysteriously, "I was wondering how much longer it would take you to piece everything together."

"I'm serious, Yelena. What happened to her?"

"The war happened. It was a freak accident; she was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her family is all right, though." Yelena's voice was sad and she looked at me in concern.

I didn't answer, I just looked ahead. I didn't mourn my best friend. I had done all my mourning long ago. Now all I felt was peace. I had closed my case with her and she was at peace. We rode for several minutes in silence before I finally turned to her again and said two words, "Thank you."

* * *

**Did that sate any of the questions you left for me in the reviews?**

**Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that there are two more chapters to this story (including the Epilogue) and, if everything goes as planned, they should both be up before New Years. There may be a short sequel in the following year if there is enough demand for it and how busy I am.**

**What the King Does Not See is discontinued. I have no plot to it and I will not be updating it any further. I'm sorry.**

**Monster in the Mirror will stay up but will move forward very very very very very very slowly if at all. No promises to be made for that one. If you want more information, you can always contact Harlequin99.**

**Dark Secrets will be the same as Monster in the Mirror, although I do promise to finish this one. I cannot say when or how long it will be, but I will be finishing it. I swear on the River Styx.**

**I will be writing a lot less, as you may have gathered from all these anouncements. It pains me to leave this fandom, since it seems to have died. I am very busy at school with a bunch of accelerated classes, I have a part-time job now and I will be travelling this year. If you want any updates on my personal life, I'm thinking of setting up a vlog (any ideas for a title?) so I'll keep you posted on that.**

**For those of you that have actually gone through everything I just wrote, thank you for reading and please review!**

**Karl (:**


	46. Chapter 46

**I'm back! And before Christmas, like I promised! Here's the honeymoon scene and the last official chapter to this story. I'm actually sad to see it end... But so happy that I was able to see the entire thing through. And I know that it's not great in the beginning and not exceptional now, but hey! I improved. So thanks for sticking with me (:**

**WARNING: A small part of this chapter is rated M-it's a honeymoon, after all. So if you're not comfortable with that kind of stuff, don't come crying to me later saying I didn't warn you. I've marked the M-rated part in the chapter, so you're free to skip it if you wish.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

**CHAPTER 46**

I put my hands over Yelena's eyes and led her down a small path leading up to a cottage. Stopping at a reasonable distance, I moved my hands to her shoulders.

"Welcome home, love."

Yelena didn't make a single sound at first. She made her way slowly down the rest of the path. Running her hand on the wall of the home that stood there, she sunk to her knees with a sob.

I slowly made my way up to where she way and sank to the ground behind her. "You don't like it?" I asked, knowing very well that that wasn't the problem.

Yelena turned suddenly, "Mine?"

I smiled at her and took her hands reassuringly. "All yours," I promised.

"You got me a house. How did you… When did you…" she choked up again and just pulled me closer to herself.

I chuckled. "No need to cry over it, love. Besides, we're going to need a place of our own now that we're married and have a family." I patted her hair softly.

"I'm not crying," Yelena mumbled into my shirt. "I'm just hugging you."

"You keep on doing that, then. But is there any chance you could continue inside?"

"No."

I laughed. For real. One of the first times since the fighting had been over. Then, I carefully scooped her up, went back to the horses so I sling our saddlebags over my shoulder and carried the whole lot to the door. Hadn't it been said that carrying a new bride over the doorstep was good luck or some bollocks like it? In any case, after the life we'd been having in the past couple of years, I'd take any excuse to turn it around.

Setting my wife down on one of the overstuffed armchairs in the already furnished living area, I went to set down the bags in our room.

"These are things from your suite in Ixia," Yelena remarked.

"In fact, these are _all _of the things from my suite in Ixia," I corrected her.

"You're not living there anymore?" she asked in a worried voice.

"No. I'm living here. With you and Brielle."

"What about your job? What about the Commander?"

I sighed heavily. "We've been over this, Yelena. I no longer work for the Commander. Anyway, we're still on Ixian territory. I wasn't going to settle us in Sitia after all that destruction. I can always relocate us closer to the castle if I need to."

"It's odd…" she mused. "You've always been so committed to your duties… What are you going to do with your days?"

"I'll take a long and blissful vacation. I'll visit that perfect world you keep reminding me of."

Yelena sighed, "But what happens when you get bored?"

"You think I'll get bored with Brielle and you? You think I'd walk out on this thing that we're building?"

Yelena looked down. "Not… walk out. You'll want something more challenging than just being a father for the rest of your life. I know you. You'll start becoming disconnected. And I can't raise Brielle without a counter-part to help me."

I didn't say a word for a while. We both knew her words would eventually become truth if I didn't go back to the castle and fix things. Instead of acknowledging this fact though, I leaned in a kissed her. "Stop worrying about the future so much. This is now. Right now, I've just married the woman I've been in love with for over a decade and we're on our honeymoon. I don't know where she is at the moment, but I hope she comes back soon." I leaned my forehead against hers, continuing to softly peck and nip her lips. "Hmm… Is my lovely wife going to come out and enjoy her honeymoon?"

Yelena smiled a little. "I'm back. I'm here. I'm in the moment."

"Good." I kissed her more deeply, pushing her down onto the armchair she sat on.

I couldn't help it. It had been almost two years since Yelena and I had practiced any intimacy. And that made it all the more painful when she began to whimper in protest and push me away when I reached for the hem of her shirt. I stood abruptly and left the room, ignoring Yelena's pleas for me to stay.

I understood why. It was the not-taking-it-personally I was having trouble with. I knew it wasn't me specifically, but it had been my advances that had just been rejected. By my wife. Who had been sexually abused and tortured for an extended period of time, I reminded myself. I paced. Like it or not, I wasn't infallible. I needed some release. I guess my honeymoon would consist of many cold showers. I sighed and leaned my head against a wall.

I heard Yelena come in, but didn't respond to the noise. I felt her arms wrap around my middle, stroking my abdomen, while she laid her head on one of my shoulder blades.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her hands moved to hook themselves around my arms and she pulled herself closer to my back. "It's not you. I promise."

I breathed deeply several times, not saying anything. "This is going to be difficult…" I finally decided.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"You know I am."

"Yes, I do."

.oO° ° °Oo.

Late into the night, Yelena lay asleep in bed and I had just finished washing. With a towel wrapped around my hips, I searched through our numerous saddlebags for some night clothes. Finally, after putting some pants on and pulling a shirt over my head, I inched towards the bed. I was actually afraid, I realized. I didn't want to put a stopper between Yelena and myself because of an intimacy issue.

Slowly, I peeled the covers back and slid onto my side of the bed. I lay on my back awkwardly. I didn't know whether I could move closer or cuddle with her and anything anymore. Kissing was all right, as long as it didn't get too intense and some hugging, if she allowed the contact, but that was as far she would go.

.oO° ° °Oo.

I lay awake for a long time. Yelena grew restless as time went on, before waking up with a scream. After checking her surroundings, she finally met my gaze. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. She tried to blink them away, but a couple managed to escape and roll down her cheeks. I didn't reach towards her. I waited patiently for when she would be ready to receive any kind of comfort.

She didn't move closer. She just lay back down and turned her back to me. And, naturally, I got angry. Because I'm an idiot like that.

So after huffing in annoyance, I turned in the other direction and went back to staring at the wall.

"I'm sorry."

I think I growled at her when she said that. "Sorry? Really? Is that all you've got for me?" I sat up abruptly. "Sorry?" I asked sharply. "Stop being sorry. I hate it. I hate your apologies." I paused. "I hate what they did to you," I said more quietly this time. I shut my eyes. "You weren't at fault and yet, look how it changed you. You can't get a single healthy night of sleep since then and make it through a single hour without trying to make up for what you think you're lacking now. And don't go telling me the bullshit you tell the healers about how the nightmares are getting better. We both know they aren't and that they never may. You have to try and trust. I know it's not easy and I know that I may never understand what you're going through, but, if this marriage is going to work, you're going to have to try. Not apologize, _try. _We don't have to go all the way to the top of the trust ladder, we'll go rung by rung, but I can't be pulling or pushing you up, you have to make your own steps." My rambling was getting out of hand if I was already making analogies this far in. I quieted down for a moment, making eye contact with her. "I love you, Yelena, but you need to try to return some of the feelings implied in that sentiment."

"I love you," she protested.

"I know you do—I don't think you would have married me if you didn't. The problem is that your fear is preventing you from going beyond that."

I expected her outburst, "You know why I'm scared! You know! I'm not some… some… _thing_ that you can mold to your liking! I'm an actual person. I have feelings; I'm not made of rock! Fuck you! You don't know how people work! After all, all you've ever done is end them! And you do it like the coward you are: in the dark, where no one can see you!" As usual, her anger brought on tears.

I didn't move. My chest was constricting from the effort of not responding to her words. I couldn't stop them, eventually. "You, selfish bitch!" I roared, rising from the bed. "I risked my life and just about every single other one in Ixia _and _Sitia to save your reckless ass from maniacs who would've gladly cut us all up into stew! All I've done since your return was sit and wait around. _I_ waited patiently for _you!_ Not the other way around! I've been understanding, staying up whole nights while you scream and thrash like a madwoman! I lost my job and I can never get another one because you decided to get yourself pregnant! Not once did I ask for anything in return, and you _dare_ call me an unfeeling coward?" I was panting from the outburst. But this was just the beginning, there was so much more on my chest that I had yet to release. It wasn't all towards her, but she had opened the gate.

I hadn't even realized it, but Yelena was sobbing and she trembled under the covers. My anger instantly flew back into me, almost like a physical force, throwing me back. I had done that. I was scaring her. "I'm sorry." I mouthed the words, backing away from the bed in horror of what my words had caused. "I didn't mean… I didn't want… Please…" Closing my eyes, I fought to re-center myself. I fought to do what I had been taught when training to become a killer. With each inhalation, I pulled my emotions back inside of myself and then pulled an indifferent mask over my face.

I was up against the wall opposite to my wife—though I wasn't certain she was going to remain even that now—praying desperately that I could somehow take my words back.

Yelena was motionless for a long time. I braced myself for what harsh words she would throw back at me. After which, knowing myself, I would storm out and our honeymoon—our happy marriage—would end. I closed my eyes and waited in an illusion of peacefulness. I couldn't have predicted what she did.

The sound of her rapid breathing was suddenly much closer and I felt her body heat near me. My eyes flew open in confusion. She was there, kneeling in front of me. Not touching me, more like hovering her hands over my feet as she looked down at them. I frowned. I knew this position well. I was one of submission: both humbling and apologetic. I had assumed it many times when I was still in training with my master.

I sank to my knees as well, trying to assure her that this wasn't what I wanted. I didn't want her beneath me, I just needed trust. My movement didn't have the wanted effect. She just moved lower, her forehead touching the floor.

"You're right," she whispered.

My breath puffed out of my lungs too quickly. "No. I'm only angry." I reached out a lifted her from the floor. She kept her gaze down. "Look at me," I commanded. She glanced up. "I'm wrong. You're in pain."

"That doesn't give me the right to be a selfish bitch." Yelena looked down again.

"You're not." I released her.

"I'm sorry." She moved back to the floor again. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."

"There is nothing. I mean it. _Nothing _to make up for." I pulled her into myself, enveloping her in my arms. She shivered. "Are you cold?" Yelena didn't answer. "You're allowed to be cold, love."

"I'm not cold." Her voice cracked with her words. "I…" she bit her lip, as if in shame. "I want you too," she finally whispered. "I'm just afraid. That it will hurt."

I raised an eyebrow. We had gone from shouting insults at each other to this. "Have I ever hurt you before?" I asked, trying to reassure her.

"Well, no… But maybe they messed up the way I'll respond… Or there's an internal problem…"

I shushed her. "This will not be happening until you are completely comfortable with it." I took a pause. "And you're not a selfish bitch. I can't believe I actually said that. And I don't regret Brielle. If anything, she's one of the only things I _don't _regret."

She completely ignored my apology, "See, that's the problem. I won't ever be comfortable with it. The more I think about it, the more I dread it."

I frowned. What was she implying? "You want to do this now?" I asked carefully.

Yelena closed her eyes. "I want… I want a honeymoon."

.oO° ° °Oo.

Later, Yelena—my wife—, expecting a proper honeymoon, lay next to me in bed. I took a couple of deep breaths. What if it didn't work? What if I hurt her? What if I had a... malfunction? What if she changed her mind in the middle? What if… I had just told her to live in the present for a little bit and here I was, worrying about the 'what if's of the future.

"What's wrong?" she asked. I felt her hand on my arm. "Did you change your mind?"

I sighed. "No… Unless you have?"

"I'm still good."

"All right then. Are you ready?" This may have been the most awkward sex I had ever been involved in. Much too formal and hesitant. I was aware of my ever action, and scared of their consequences.

I rolled over to lie on top of her. She tensed up almost immediately. Holding my weight carefully above her body, I touched my forehead to hers. Maybe the familiarity would be of some comfort? Her breathing calmed a little, but not enough for her to be truly comfortable.

Yelena POV

Oh God, this was actually happening. What had I been thinking? Right. I trusted Valek. I married him. He would never do anything that I didn't want. Maybe I _was_ a selfish bitch? I mean, here I was, forcing him into an awkward situation that I didn't even know how I would react to. Maybe I'd lash out and then he'd never want to touch me again?

"Turn the light out." I suddenly blurted out, ruining any peace my husband had fought to create. I added, "Please."

Valek closed his eyes with a sigh and started to lift up to do as I asked. He stopped. "No." His refusal was blunt. "I want to be able to see you."

"You won't like what you see," I promised.

"I've seen you before, Yelena. I know every part of you by heart. I know how beautiful you are."

"Not anymore…" I whispered.

****M-rating begins****

Valek POV

There. I found the problem. She was scared that I wouldn't want her anymore after I saw her scars.

I leaned over her silently and reached for the buttons on her night gown. I would make her see how beautiful she was. That I loved her so much it hurt sometimes. Slowly, ignoring her nervous whines and the way she was gnawing her lip, I pulled the robe up and off her body. She was left only in her underwear. I pulled off my own shirt so that she didn't feel as self-conscious and slowly dragged her panties down her legs. She was revealed to me in all of her perfection.

The soft glow of the lantern was reflected off her golden skin, her scars casting shadows, creating a painting of dark and light.

Her arms came up to hide her breasts as my eyes roamed over them. Gently, I removed them and held them by her sides, while I took my time gazing at the mounds. I noticed fading bite-mark scars around the nipples and whip lashes on the sides. Bending down slowly, I kissed them. Each scar. And I continued down. All over her body. All the way down to her feet and then I turned her over to follow whip lashes across her back, bottom and backs of her thighs. All with my lips. I made sure to make every single one of her imperfections feel loved.

Eventually, I reached her face. There, I gently pushed her hair away from the right side of her face to rain small kisses all over the jagged lines that ran down there. Then, following a line down her neck, I made my way between her breasts, over her stomach until I reached her womanhood. Trimmed curls awaited me, just brushing the top of her clit.

Even there, I saw, those monsters had gotten to her. Her lips had been badly mutilated and I could see someone had attempted to remove her clitoris—the woman's pleasure instrument—, scars lining each side of its skin envelope. There had been tearing near her opening and I couldn't hold down the gasp that ripped out of me at the sight. Yelena tried to pull her legs close.

"No," I whispered against her inner thigh. "You're perfect. Don't be afraid." I could hear her soft whimpers as I let my lips travel up and down her womanly parts. I could taste and feel her moisture under my lips. "It's not supposed to hurt. It's supposed to bring you pleasure," I told her. Finally, placing a single kiss on her clitoris, I brought myself up to her eye level.

Gazing into her eyes, I uttered another reassurance, "Beautiful." I kissed her, all the while kicking off my pants.

I kept eye contact with her, making sure that she was all right, that her mind was still made up. Nudging her legs open, I positioned myself at her entrance. She swallowed hard. "Ready, love?" I whispered.

She bit her lip before answering hesitantly, but with a smile on her face, "For you? Always."

I rocked my hips a tiny bit back before thrusting in between her folds. And the feeling was like nothing else in the world.

.oO° ° °Oo.

****M-rating ends****

Several hours had passed and we lay tangled together in a sweaty mess of limbs. I could feel her breath against my chest. She was pressed up against me, our legs hooked together and our arms around each other. "Mm… Valek?"

"Yes, love?"

"We can do that again whenever you want."

I laughed. She laughed. For real. And that made me the happiest man alive.

* * *

**And we're out! Please do leave your comments in a review, it's always appreciated. Consider it an early Christmas present?**

******If I seem to be MIA after the holidays, that's because I will be. I will, in fact, be spending a month in Poland followed by a month in Guatemala. Both are extensive school projects and, if you want to know more about them and you speak some french, you're welcome to visit my and my team-mate's blog regarding them:**

******pologne2013(period)weebly(period)com**

**I've gotten a couple messages about Dark Secerts. I assure you that I will be finishing it. Just not in the near future.**

**That's it for now! I hope to talk to you all before New Years of in the week following with the Epilogue.**

**Karl (:**


	47. Epilogue

**And here it is: the last chapter of Unraveling Worlds!**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

* * *

'_It is the youth who must inherit the tribulation, the sorrow… that are the aftermath of war.'  
_—_Herbert Hoover_

* * *

The Blood War ended brutally. Lives were lost and Ixia and Sitia had both been destroyed. Only ashes were left behind on the main battleground where the Soulfinder had released her true power. The earth had not been able to contain the clash of the Shadow World with reality. It had given up its fight and all that was left of it was dust.

Commander Ambrose wasted no time and began rebuilding his country. The General next in line for the position could not be left with such a great task while he would still be so new at governing a country. Ixia was almost completely rebuilt after a total of five years. The citizens were settling into their new homes under the new and improved Code of Behaviour—which had been modified following the wars events so that magicians could find a place in the north and the people of Ixia had more freedom.

Sitia, on the other hand, had not put any effort into rebuilding its country. The population was left in complete and total ruins to deal with the consequences that a war of such grandeur had had on it. There was no room for children and many of them were tossed out onto the street without a second thought. Worse even were the fates of the children left behind by the meeting of Ixian soldiers and Sitian women during the war. When the northern armies receded, that offspring was forgotten. It became the dung of war, the new beggar population.

As those same Sixian children grew, they realized quickly what was happening around them and how much improvement there needed to be made in the southern district if they could ever hope to equal Ixia. Unfortunately, the Sitian Council denied any and all of their demands regarding funds and help to make a new Sitia. Since they could not obtain what they wanted through the Council or the Masters, they began using illegal ways of action. The guilds that were already present became a reality in the everyday life of a Sitian as assassins took over and started to 'fix' the country. In the end there was only destruction left.

* * *

**Please note that this chapter is not necessary to the completion of the story. It's here if you want to add it to the timeline in your head, but the happy ending is in chapter 46. Let's just say that this is the reality Brielle is brought into and what serves a double role of introducing my sequel.**

**Thank you so much to all the readers that have stuck with me all the way through this, reviewed and beta-ed and helped me.**

**Karl (:**


End file.
